No One Is Incorruptible
by LinVolturi
Summary: "Marriage is a partnership. Love isn't a requirement." Emmy Dawson came to Gotham to finish her Master's Degree at Gotham University. While there she is assigned to work with Jonathan Crane who is also working on his Master's Degree in Psychology. Little do either of them know the journey that is about to embark. Story starts before Batman Begins! Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do NOT own Batman, Jonathan Crane or any other characters from Batman that will appear in this story. Nor am I making any money off of writing this story. I only own my OC. _

_**Summary:**__ Emmy comes to Gotham to attend school at Gotham University. There she is assigned to work with Jonathan Crane who is also working on his Master's Degree in Psychology. Little do either of them know the journey that is about to take place. _**Story starts before Batman Begins!**

**Chapter 1:**

**Welcome to Gotham University**

I could feel the warm breeze as I walked through the campus grounds. The term was just starting here at Gotham University and I was both nervous and excited to be there. I realized I only had a half hour before class started as I looked up at the Big Ben replica that stood in the middle of campus. I glanced down at the schedule in my hand as I started to walk slowly, trying to figure out where I needed to be.

A few minutes later, I walked up to an old red brick building with the words _"Department of Behavioral Sciences" _plastered on the front. It took a matter of minutes to find the classroom, as I wasn't completely used to my surroundings yet. It was a large, stadium-type styled room that could easily fit 200 students. There were a few students sitting at their desks waiting for the class to start. I walked down the stairs to about the third row. There was a man sitting in the first desk so I took the seat next to him.

I put my book bag on the ground next to me and pulled out my textbook for this class and my laptop. After placing both the book and the laptop on the desk, I opened my laptop to get it started up. I looked over to the man next to me.

He had short, wavy dark brown hair that came to the tip of his ears, a pale complexion and wore black glasses. He was typing quickly on his laptop oblivious to the fact that I was sitting next to him. I turned back to my laptop as an old man appeared at the front of the class, who I assumed to be the Professor.

He set a big stack of books on a wooden table that sat next to the whiteboard. Within a matter of seconds he had written his name and the name of the class on the whiteboard. I could hear the sounds of students, pouring down the stairs into the classroom. The man next to me seemed to realize class was about to start and looked up from his laptop to the Professor.

"Alright class, let's get started. First I'll start out by saying; most of you are Psychology majors. I expect great things from you in this class. You can plan on spending at least 15-20 hours a week on homework and group projects. If you aren't up for a challenge I suggest you leave. Now, look to the person next to you." The professor, a man named Dr. Hughes said.

I looked to the man next to me. His icy blue eyes met my brown ones. He nodded to me before turning back Dr. Hughes. I followed his actions as I looked away from him.

"This is your partner for the rest of the semester. I suggest you get to know their name and phone number. At the end of the quarter you and your partner will present a topic that interests you both, based off of research you have personally done. This assignment is critical to the class and I expect you to take a lot of time and preparation for it. If you fail this, you fail the class. Here are the instructions for the presentation. I suggest you read through it and choose your topic carefully. Now let's get started, please open your books to page 10…" Dr. Hughes continued to talk as I carefully listened, typing notes on my computer.

After 60 minutes Dr. Hughes dismissed class and I quickly started to put my textbook and laptop in my book back. I had another class in 10 minutes and I wanted to be there before the class started to get a good seat. I left that classroom and walked the halls when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see the blue–eyed man I sat next to in my previous class.

"Hi." I said to him hoping we could swap info or set up a time to meet quickly.

"Are you working on your Masters?" he asked me in a cool tone.

"Yes." I answered, unsure where he was going with this.

"Good we can talk on the way to our next class. I'm Jonathan, here is my phone number, but only use it after 5. I can meet with you tonight around 7 to start working on our project, if you are available." He told with that same cool voice, handing me a piece of paper with his phone number on it.

"How about we meet at the small cafe just inside the library?" I suggested and he nodded, considering it.

"That would be fine." He agreed after a few moments.

A silence settled over the two of us as we continued walking towards the next classroom. I assumed we were going to the same place, as he hadn't walked away from me yet.

"So, how did you know we had our next class together?" I inquired.

"We're both working on our masters in Psychology. Chances are we'll be in the same classes." The look he gave me, sent a shiver down my spine before he gestured to the paper in my hand. "And you're holding your schedule in your hand."

I smiled looking at the paper in my hand. There was something about him. He definitely wasn't bad looking. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of man he was, what his past was and what I would learn about him.

"We're here." He nodded at one of the doors to the left as we came to stand in front of it. He opened the door and let me walk in first.

"Thank you." I said to him, trying to be polite. He nodded at me and followed me inside the room.

There were already several students inside. Some I recognized from the previous class, some I hadn't seen before. I watched as Jonathan went to the front row taking a spot in the corner. I looked around and realized that there weren't many seats left, so I just walked down to the front and sat next to Jonathan.

"You know you aren't obligated to sit by me." Jonathan commented as I pulled out my laptop.

"I know I don't have to. Its just, I already know you and there aren't many seats left." I replied. He looked around the room, his eyes scanning the seats that were filling up quickly.

"What's your name?" he suddenly asked me. My eyes widened a bit realizing I hadn't introduced myself.

"Oh, Sorry! My name is Emily, but everyone calls me Emmy." I said smiling, outstretching my hand to shake his. His hand briefly touched mine in a pathetic handshake. Jonathan went to say something but was interrupted by the Professor starting the class.

After I finished with my classes I spent the rest of the day in the library working on papers, reading and doing other homework. Before I knew it, it was 6:50. I quickly gathered up my things and walked down the stairs to the first floor. Once at the café, I bought a cup of coffee and a small salad and waited for Jonathan to show up. A couple of minutes had passed when Jonathan sat in the chair across from me.

"Let's get started. I was thinking we could do our presentation on fear; the psychology behind it, how to intensify it and how the mind reacts when it's faced with some of our worse fears." He suggested, taking out his laptop.

I was surprised at how much he had thought about this already. I hadn't really thought about it too much as I had been busy with other things.

"Alright, what exactly do you have in mind?" I questioned him. He smiled to himself, seeming pleased I was going along with his idea.

"We do our own experiments, mostly on ourselves. We identify our own fears, which should be fairly easy. We face those fears and record our reactions, thought, mental health and such. We should be able to get into more details as we go along, depending on what we find." He looked through the notes on his laptop, pleased to be talking about this. I thought a moment.

"Sounds good to me, where do you think we should start?" I responded, scribbling down notes so I could start brainstorming ideas.

"I've already gone ahead and started the identifying process. We can go ahead and list your fears now and compare the list, seeing what we can 'safely' face. We could also consider doing a survey of what the students on campus are afraid and see what the most common fears are, and take those into consideration of our experiments." He answered quickly.

"Well, it sounds good to me. Let's get started." I pulled out a piece of paper from my notebook. I started writing down some of my fears. It seemed like an interesting topic and Jonathan seemed so passionate about it. I felt like I couldn't really say no.

"I already have my list of fears written down, why don't we just add your fears to my list?" he said clicking into a document on his computer.

"Alright." I replied.

"What are your fears?" he asked without hesitation.

I thought a moment. I wasn't sure if I really wanted him to know what I was most afraid of but I knew I wanted accurate results. Jonathan looked up at me, waiting to for me to tell him my deepest fears.

"Normal things, spiders, snakes, bugs, scarecrows…."

"Scarecrows?" Jonathan asked raising an eyebrow. I looked at him knowing it wasn't a common fear. "Is there a story behind that?" he asked me suddenly interested in what I had to say.

"Yeah well…. I'm a farmer's daughter. I grew up in the middle of nowhere in Iowa on my father's farm. When I was about six my family had a reunion in my dad's old barn completed with a bonfire and "scary" stories. One of those stories was about a scarecrow that came to life and murdered everyone on the farm it 'served'. Well later that night, one of my brothers decided it would be funny to dress up as a scarecrow and sneak into my room. Well long story short, he woke me up, I screamed, my dad came in, punched my brother, and I've been afraid of scarecrows ever since. It took years for me to be able to back out into the crop field." I shuddered a bit as I thought back on that memory. It was such a dumb and juvenile fear.

"Interesting, how does it affect you now?" Jonathan asked, fascinated with my tale.

"Well, I still won't go out into the crop field at night." I replied as a matter-of-fact.

"How old are you?" he pried.

"I fail to see what that has to do with this." I informed him.

"We can use this as part of our research. It's interesting how something like this can still affect you so greatly even though it happened so long ago. This should be one of the fears you face for our project." He said with a bit of a twisted smile.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you that." I finally said, taking a sip from my coffee. He smirked.

"Well we want everything to be accurate. Besides you want to conquer this fear don't you? And I'll be there, you won't be completely alone." He urged, trying to convince me to go along with it.

"You don't have to convince me to do this, I'll do it. I'm not going to like it but I'll do it." I commented, taking another sip of my coffee.

"You're an interesting person, Emmy. Normally people don't want to embrace their fears." He informed me.

"This will be an interesting experiment." I said thinking about it a bit more. What had I just gotten myself into?

We spent a few more hours going over fears and how to initiate our experiments. We decided to go ahead and make some surveys to see what people were most afraid of. Before I knew it a voice came over the intercom informing us the library was closing.

Jonathan and I started to pack up our things and headed out the library. I took out my cell phone and looked at the time.

"Wow I can't believe it's one already. Well I think the bus has finished its route. Guess I'm walking home." I commented to myself.

"Where are you headed?" Jonathan asked.

"5th Avenue." I answered.

"I live in that area; I'll walk you home." He said as we started walking again. We were quiet for most of the trip back to my apartment. I was glad my apartment was on his way home. Being a small town girl, I didn't want to walk home alone in the dark in the big city.

About fifteen minutes later we were at my apartment.

"Thanks for walking me home." I said.

"Well you shouldn't be walking the streets alone at one in the morning; especially in Gotham." He bluntly stated. I nodded and turned to unlock my door.

"Thanks again, meet you at the library tomorrow, same place, same time?" I asked him, once my door was open.

"Chances are you'll see me before then, but yes. I'll see you then." He said.

"Sounds good, good night." I yawned out.

"Night." He waved as he started to walk off.

I turned on the light as I closed the door behind me, locking it with a click. I looked around the front/living room. It was still filled with boxes that needed to be unpacked.

"That will wait until tomorrow." I said to myself as I walked over to my bedroom. I set my book bag down next to the bed. I walked over to my dresser pulled out a black tank top and some dark red pajama bottoms. After I changed into my bedtime wear, I did a quick walk through of my apartment to make sure there weren't any weirdoes hiding out. Once I deemed I was indeed alone, I turned off the lights and climbed into my bed.

_'I wonder how my new life in Gotham will turn out.'_ I thought to myself before drifting into a deep sleep.

….

**Author's Note:** _Hello everyone! Welcome to my story. I've had a few people message me, asking me to repost this story. I'm in the process of having it betaed by my awesome friend, X .xMay-Babyeex. X so that should give the story a better quality than it had originally. _

_There are a few changes so hopefully if you've read this story before you'll enjoy the changes. Nothing major changes its still the same story line I just added a few more scenes to certain chapters of the story. I hope you'll love the extra scenes. _

_Anyway, I'll update as quickly as I can. Chapter 2 should be out later tonight. Please leave a review if you have a moment. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks again!-Lin_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Warning: There is some swearing and sexual content in this chapter. **_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Fear & Manipulation**_

The wind softly bristled softly through the corn stalks. This was a sound I was very familiar with but still I was getting nervous and more anxious.

"How the hell did I let you talk me into this?" I angrily asked as Jonathan and we wandered aimlessly through the cornfield, located on the outskirts of Gotham.

"If I may Emmy, you did volunteer to do this." Jonathan stated clearly unimpressed with my comment. He was right; I had no one to blame but myself. Damn I hated being out here. This place was creepier than any cornfield I had been out in before. It felt like anything could jump out and murder us at any time. I held the small hand gun tighter than I had previously.

'_Keep calm,'_ the Psychologist in me said, _'Nothing is out there, and if something does happen to be out there shoot it or push Jonathan towards it and get the hell out of here.'_

I looked over at the lean man next to me and shook my head.

'_That's wouldn't work." I thought as we continued to walk. 'He would probably throw me towards it and laugh as the thing ate me before I had a chance to shoot anything.'_ Within a few more minutes I gulped a bit as I looked up to see a large hay stuffed scarecrow.

"Ok we're here." I said turning to Jonathan. "Can we go home now?"

"Tell me exactly what you're feeling now." He said to me, getting out his little notepad I had seen many times now.

_~Flashback~_

_A few weeks passed since the beginning of the school year, I had spent a lot of time with Jonathan, though I still learned very little about him. He was very focused on his studies and was very straightforward with me._

_The second week into the semester, Jonathan informed me that he had arranged for us to visit a local farm, at night to walk through the cornfield to encounter a scarecrow. I freaked out on him but he was calm and told me to relax….yeah that wasn't going to happen._

_Before I left Iowa my father gave me couple of hand pistols and a riffle to take to Gotham. He also insisted I carried a can of mace spray with me at all times. I never carried the mace with me and the guns were mostly locked up in a gun cabinet in my room._

_I had just unlocked the gun cabinet when I heard a knock on my door. I didn't have time to leave my room when I heard a key in the keyhole and my door was being unlocked. I walked into my front room, to see Jonathan closing the front door behind him._

"_Ah, Emmy, are you ready to go?" Jonathan questioned, holding the key to my apartment I had placed under the welcome mat outside my door._

"_How did you know about that?" I asked him pointing to the key. He glanced down at it. _

"_Never leave a key under your welcome mat again. You're in Gotham now and the last thing you need is for a rapist to have access to your apartment." Jonathan scolded as he waved the key back and forth. I took the key and put it down on the coffee table in front of my couch._

"_Are you ready?" he repeated._

"_Almost, I just need to grab one last thing." I said going back into my room. I opened my gun cabinet and pulled out my favorite hand gun. I smiled at it, made sure it was loaded, grabbed a few more rounds and walked back into the room Jonathan was waiting in. He eyed the gun for a moment._

"_What do you think is going to attack you? I promise the scarecrow isn't going to magically come alive." Jonathan commented unimpressed at my actions._

"_It's not for the scarecrows… it's for the coyotes." I said attaching the gun to my belt._

"_Coyotes?" he asked me.._

"_Yep. I highly doubt we'll run into one but it would be wise to have this if we do." I said patting the gun._

"_Very well…..shall we go?" he asked me. I nodded and followed him out the door._

_Once to the farm we talked to the owner for a moment, he quickly gave me permission to shoot any coyotes we came across and pointed us in the direction of the cornfield._

_~End of Flashback~_

After telling Jonathan how I was feeling, having my heart rate and blood pressure taken, I looked back up at the scarecrow, memories of the story I had been told and my brother sneaking into my room seemed vividly come to life before me. Jonathan was talking but I couldn't hear him. I was too absorbed looking at the scarecrow. I was drawn out of my daze when I heard my name being said.

"What?" I asked looking back at my partner.

"I was asking you if you wanted to leave. We both have class early tomorrow morning after all." Jonathan said, seeming satisfied with the data we had collected. I looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah let's go." I agreed before we made our way back to the farmhouse.

"I was thinking we could come back a couple more times to see if there was any change." Jonathan suggested.

"That would be fine. It feels like a creepy version of home here." I answered. He went on about our next experiment, something about snakes, when we heard a snarl coming from our left. I put my hand out in front of Jonathan to stop him. Once I had his attention he heard the growls and a coyote had emerged from the corn stalks a few feet in front of us.

"Make as much noise as you can." I shouted, hoping to scare the coyote away. I drew my gun aiming it at the animal, just in case. The coyote started to slowly circle us, before it initiated an attack by running towards us. I fired one shot off as a warning but that didn't work either and the coyote was getting closer. I fired one last shot, as the coyote lunged at us, hitting and killing the coyote. It was a time like this I was grateful my dad took the time to teach me how to shoot.

"Well, that was an adrenaline rush." I said looking at the corpse that lay in front of us. Jonathan's face remained as neutral as ever. I wasn't sure, I had been too worried about the coyote to notice, but from I could tell Jonathan didn't react to our interaction with the coyote in fear. In fact, I could almost feel him watching me, like he wanted to catch a glimpse of my fear from the situation.

After letting the farmer know about the coyote, we left the farm and headed back to my apartment.

"Well that was fun." I commented to Jonathan, as we reached my apartment door.

"You were holding onto your gun the majority of the time we were there." he stated. I unlocked my door.

"Have a good night." I told him before walking into my apartment.

"Night." Jonathan barely waved as he walked off like he always did.

...

"Breathe, Emmy." Jonathan instructed as we walked into a local pet store. Jonathan seemed to be having fun with these experiments we were performing.

After our visit to the farm, Jonathan informed me we would be going to a pet store where I could come face-to-face with a corn snake. Corn snakes are harmless and for the most part have a pretty mild personality. Still a snake is a snake and my nerves had begun to quiver.

_'Jonathan hates me, that's all there is to it._' I thought while Jonathan introduced us to the store clerk._ 'How else could he enjoy watching me squirm like this?'_

"Oh right you guys are here to play with our corn snake. One moment and I'll get him out." the clerk said, before going to the back of the store. I waited nervously for the man to return with the snake.

"Are you alright?" Jonathan questioned while my heart started to race.

"I'm not touching it, you can't me touch it." I whined in a childish tone. I _really_ didn't want to be here. Jonathan raised an eyebrow and got out his little notepad to write down what I had just said. He started to take my blood pressure when the clerk returned with the little red and orange snake. My eyes widened as I let out a small shriek and ran out the pet store door.

A few minutes later Jonathan joined me outside.

"Nice reaction." he smirked. There was no way I was doing that again.

...

A couple of weeks passed before Jonathan convinced me to go back to the pet store.

"You did agree to do this." he reminded me as waited for the clerk to bring the corn snake back out. Damn, why did I agree to do this subject?

"Yes, but I didn't say I'd like it. Can't we just go watch a documentary on snakes or something?" I suggested, knowing he wasn't going to let me out of this that easy.

"Just tell me what you're feeling." Jonathan demanded, ready to write in his notepad.

"Well, I'm not too fond of you right now." I informed him a bit harshly. I really, _really_ didn't want to be here.

"You didn't have to agree to do this." He seethed. His patience for my lack of enthusiasm was getting thin.

"No but I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I'm not touching the snake."

"You don't have to touch it this time around. Let's just keep you in the same room as it for at least three minutes." he suggested as the store clerk approached us with the small snake.

_'Ok, Emmy, stop whining and just get this over it.'_ I thought to myself as I started a staring contest with the snake...it won. I didn't want to be here but at least Jonathan wasn't making me touch the snake.

"I thought you were more afraid of Scarecrows." Jonathan commented watching me closely.

"I am but the Scarecrow isn't here and even if it was, it couldn't bite me." I replied not looking away from the snake. _'Its such a cool looking creature.'_ I thought to myself. _'Yeah...it still freaks me out.'_

Jonathan and I would return to the pet store a few more times until Jonathan made me touch the snake. I yelled at him and hightailed it out of there. Jonathan seemed pretty pleased with what we had gathered. He wanted to go back to the pet store but there was no way that was happening. Gosh, I'm such a big baby.

…..

More time passed and it was now November.

"So I was wondering if you were going home for Thanksgiving." I asked Jonathan as we sat in our usual spot in the café. We were starting to finalize our project.

"I don't see how that's any of your concern, but no. I'll be here." He answered without looking up from his work.

"I'm not going home either, actually." I fumbled around a bit." I was wondering if you'd like to get together and have Thanksgiving dinner. We could work on our project and try to finish it up." I didn't want to be alone for the holiday. I had a hard time making friends and Jonathan was the extent of my social life due to our project.

"Alright, that sound fine." Jonathan agreed, again without looking up.

...

A few more weeks passed and it was now Thanksgiving. Jonathan was over at my apartment. We talked about our project as we waited for the turkey to finish cooking. Once the turkey was done I put the homemade pumpkin pie in the oven and served the small turkey. It was snowing outside and I had my fireplace on to keep the apartment heated.

"So, why are you so fascinated with fears?" I asked Jonathan as we took a break from our project to eat. I spent a lot of time with him but he was a private person and didn't tell me much about himself. Jonathan looked a bit surprised by my question. He thought a moment before answering.

"I've always been fascinated with phobias. We all have them and our lives are influenced by them. By studying fears and intensifying them, we can learn much and may eventually be able to truly overcome our fears. I want to master fears." He replied. I went to reply when the power went out.

I got out some candles that I had in a drawer next to the fridge and lite them with the flames of the fire. We sat next to fire as we finished our food.

"I don't like the dark." I whispered to myself.

"Afraid of the dark are we?" Jonathan asked with a smirk.

"Maybe just a little." I replied, pinching my pointer finger barely above my thumb. We went through the motions of how I was feeling while Jonathan jotted down every little detail.

After that was done, I pulled the pumpkin pie out of the oven and walked it over to the fire to see if it had finished before the power went off.

"It's looks like it's done. Do you want a slice?" I asked. He nodded. Once we were munching on our pies, I turned to him.

"Scarecrow." I suddenly said as an idea came to my mind.

"Scarecrow?" he questioned giving me a suspicious look.

"Yes, that should be your nickname. You said you wanted to be the master of fears, Scarecrows are pretty good at causing fears in my opinion." I blurted out barely thinking about what I was saying. Jonathan stared at me for a moment, thinking about what I had said.

"Alright, call me 'the scarecrow'." Jonathan joked with a half-smile. I returned the smile as we joked around bit more.

Jonathan was a very serious, straightforward person and joking around wasn't something I had seen him do before. We were sitting close to each other while we joked and I didn't realize how close we were until we were finished. Our faces were inches apart and we stared at each other a bit awkwardly before I turned away.

"Thanks for coming tonight." I thanked him, trying to make it less awkward. "I didn't want to be alone for the holiday."

"Thanks for inviting me. The turkey was excellent and it was good to get as much done on our project as we have." He replied. I could feel his eyes pierce into me. It felt like he was up to something but what was it? He seemed to have a way of manipulating things into happening his way. I fell for his manipulation before though I didn't recognize it until afterwards.

I stared at the crackling fire for a moment before I turned back to Jonathan and offered to take his now empty plate. He handed it to me our hands touching slightly. I felt a twinge in my stomach, smiled at him and walked away.

I knew I found him physically attractive. He was a very handsome man but we were just friends if even that. I mean, the guy dragged me out to a cornfield to see a Scarecrow and made me touch a snake. Then there's the fact that I didn't even know him that well.

I was putting the dishes in the sink when I heard Jonathan stand up. I could hear the shuffle of his feet as he walked over to me. Within a few seconds he was at my side. A minute later I felt his hand on top of mine. He was confusing; I couldn't read him at all. I turned to him and went to say something but when our eyes met I realized his eyes were filled with lust.

His lips crashed on top of mine as his hand started to wander my body. My eyes widened at this sudden touch. What the hell was he doing? I wanted to pull away but his arm was wrapped tightly around me, holding me close to him. His hand continued to roam my body for a few minutes. He was turning me on and I was getting to a point where I wouldn't tell him no.

Jonathan's lips broke away from mine as he looked at me. He seemed to study my face. I was breathing heavily as I watched him and wondered what his next move would be.

"One night stand?" Jonathan asked me suddenly. I was surprised he would be blunt about it. I hesitated to answer for a minute until I felt a small zing from the spot his hand was caressing. I nodded, agreeing to the one night stand. It wasn't long before we were in my bed making love.

….

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

A couple of weeks passed since the one night stand, Emmy and I had shared. I found Emmy both highly annoying and somewhat intoxicating. She was so perky but could be straight forward. I was attracted to her physically and she did seem somewhat smart. A relationship would never work between us. We were two completely different people besides she was too hyper and tad bit whiny for me. She was a hard worker though and that made her tolerable.

The day after I spent the night at Emmy's apartment we both agreed to pretend that it didn't happen and to just move on as friends. I wanted that but at the same time I wanted Emmy as a noncommittal lover. I wanted to pick through the layers of her brain and know what she thought and why she thought what she did. I both liked and disliked her for various reasons.

It was the final day of class before we would present our projects to our fellow students. I looked for Emmy but she never showed up. This wasn't like her, she always came to class. She had been sick the last few days but even at that she had always shown up.

After that class was finished I decided to skip out on my next class and took a bus over to Emmy's apartment. Once at her door, I knocked but didn't hear anything.

"Emmy, are you in there?" I knocked again. When I didn't get a reply the second time, I lifted up her welcome mat to see her apartment key. I shook my head, thinking about how I had told her not to do that.

'_This girl is too damn naive for Gotham.'_ I thought as I unlocked and opened the door.

"Emmy?" I called out once I was inside the apartment "It's me Jonathan." I looked around but there was no sign of her. I walked over to her bedroom and was shocked at what I saw. The sheets on her bed were stained with blood.

"Emmy!" I called out again, walking into her bedroom only to find a trail of blood leading from the bed to her bathroom.

"Jonathan!" I heard a faint call come from the bathroom. I quickly walked over to the door and opened it to find Emmy lying on her bathroom floor in a pool full of blood.

**Author's Note:** _Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed chapter 2 of my story. I realize it feels like things are going a little fast but I promise there's a reason for it. Thanks to ZenyZootSuit for reviewing! And thanks to those who are following my story! If you have a moment please leave a review. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. Thanks again!-Lin_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

**Loveless Partnership  
**

**Emmy's P.O.V**

A few weeks passed since Jonathan spent the night. After waking up to each other and remembering what had happened the night before we agreed to just pretend it didn't happen and move on. I wanted nothing more than to do that. However, just moving on may not be as easy as I wanted or even possible now.

I sat on my bed waiting to see which of the two results the little pregnancy test resting on the counter would show. I was nervous. I did want to be a mother but not yet. I wanted to finish my education, fall in love, get married and all that jazz before I became a mother.

The alarm on my phone went off letting me know it was time to check the test. I let in a deep breath, turned off the alarm, stood up and walked back into my bathroom. I held my breath as I picked up the test. Two pink lines proved my suspicion. I was pregnant and the baby was Jonathan's. Tears formed in my eyes and my heart felt heavy in my chest. I set the test back on the counter and walked back over to my bed.

Thoughts going the speed of light raced through my mind. I had no idea how I was going to do this. I wasn't about to have an abortion but I didn't feel ready yet. How could I raise a child?

I wasn't sure how to tell Jonathan. He was a mysterious man and I had no idea what he would say or think. I picked up my cell phone and started to dial Jonathan's number but paused and put the phone away, not wanting to face him just yet.

I didn't love Jonathan and he didn't love me. That night was a one night stand nothing more. I'm sure he would feel the same way if not more so. I still had time to decide what to do. I didn't need to tell him right away.

_'I'll tell him tomorrow morning after class. It would be better to tell him in person._' I thought after lying down on the bed. It wasn't too long before I felt myself drift into a dreamless sleep.

….

Pain, it felt like a dagger had been cut through my abdomen. I tried to sit up but a felt another wave of sharp pain. After that wave had ended I sat up slowly only to feel something wet on the bed sheets. When another wave of pain ended I stood up, bend over and walked over the wall and turned on the lights.

I was shocked to see the blood that had stained my sheets.

"Oh my god." I gasped before looking down to my pajama pants. Blood seemed to be seeping out of my pants. I staggered across the floor to the bathroom to try to get a little cleaned up. Once there I felt dizzy and fell to the floor. Soon things turned black.

I didn't know how long I had been knocked out, when I heard Jonathan calling my name. I slowly sat up.

"Jonathan." I manage to choke out. Within a few seconds the bathroom door opened to reveal Jonathan. He eyes met mine for a second before he looked to the pool of blood I was lying in.

"What happened?" Jonathan inquired as he knelt next to me. His hand reached into his pocket and I saw him pull

"I don't know. I woke up to the pool of blood on my bed. I made my way over to the bathroom to get cleaned up and fainted." I hoarsely answered.

"I'm calling 911. You need to be at a hospital." Jonathan informed me before he looked at his phone.

"I'm pregnant." I blurted out. I needed to tell him. He stared at me for a moment.

"What?" he asked as if to make sure he had heard me correctly.

"I'm pregnant it's yours." I repeated. He continued to stare as he took in this new information.

"Are you sure?" he questioned. I nodded pointing up to the test. He stood up and looked at the test to see the two lines stating I was pregnant.

"Do you think this is a miscarriage?" I asked him. It looked like a miscarriage; I wasn't sure what else could be going on.

"I don't know." Jonathan answered dialing a number on his cell.

"Hi my friend is bleeding badly and she's pregnant." Jonathan told someone on the other line. He listened for a few moments.

"She needs an ambulance. She's losing a lot of blood." He said getting irritated. After a couple more minutes he gave the person my address and hung up the phone.

"An ambulance is on its way." Jonathan told me as he put the phone back in his pocket. He looked back at me. There was a bit of worry in his eyes, something I hadn't seen before.

"Thanks for your help." I whispered. I was starting to feel faint.

"How long have you known?" he asked me.

"I found out last night. I was going to tell you this morning after our first class." I answered, assuming he was talking about the pregnancy. Jonathan went to say something but we heard the front door open. Jonathan stood up and walked out of the bathroom. A few seconds later he was back with a couple of EMTs. The EMTs hoisted me up onto the stretcher and took me out of the apartment.

Once I was loaded into the ambulance one of them turned to Jonathan.

"Do you want to ride with her?" he asked. Jonathan nodded and jumped into the ambulance and sat next to me.

"You're going to be ok." He calmly said to me.

Once at the hospital they told Jonathan to wait in the waiting room as they took me to the back so they could stabilize the bleeding.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I hated waiting; I wanted to know what's going on. I wanted to know how Emmy and the baby were, assuming the pregnancy was still viable. I sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting room thinking back to this morning. Emmy was so pale and looked near death when I found her.

The pregnancy was definitely a surprise to me. I hadn't thought about her being pregnant, though it did explain why she had felt sick the last few class periods.

Now the only thing I could do was sit and wait. Wait to find out if I would be having a baby with Emmy or if we had lost it.

I thought about what would happen if she was still pregnant. Would we get married simply because she got pregnant or would she want to get rid of it? Would she want to put the child up for adoption? Or would she keep it and/or take the child back to Iowa? I hated the unknown.

"Jonathan Crane?" a doctor said coming into the room. A few hours had passed since Emmy was taken to the back. I stood up and walked over to him.

"How is she?" I asked the doctor.

"We had to give Miss Dawson a blood transfusion but we got the bleeding to stop. She had a tear. It's not common in these circumstances but it happens occasionally. She should be alright." He replied.

"And the baby?" I asked. I wanted to know if her pregnancy was still viable.

"They'll be taking Miss Dawson in for an ultrasound in a few minutes. We'll determine if there is baby and how far long she is. She says you're welcome to join her for the ultrasound." The doctor informed me.

"Yes I would like to go." I replied, knowing it would be better than just waiting here. The doctor nodded, told me to follow him and took me to the room Emmy was in. She gave me a weak smile.

"Hey." She greeted softly, reaching her hand out for mine. I took it without thinking and sat in a chair next to her. It wasn't long before the tech started the ultrasound.

The tech looked around for a few seconds before she said, "Here is the baby's heartbeat." She pointed out a small imagine with that had a flutter in its chest.

I was somewhat in awe at the evidence that Emmy was indeed pregnant. After taking some measurements and determining Emmy was six weeks pregnant, they took Emmy and I back into a hospital room, where Emmy would be staying the next few days.

Once the nurse left I turned to Emmy.

"This has been an eventful day." I stated walking over to her. She nodded as I sat on the bed next to her, watching her. I wanted to know what she was thinking, feeling and what she wanted to do about this situation.

"What do you want to do?" she asked me.

"What do you mean?" I asked her wanting her tell me her thoughts.

"About the baby, I mean. Do you want to keep it, get rid of it, put it up for adoption?" she asked me.

"I don't particularly care for the last two options, so I'd prefer to keep it." I replied. This child was merely an extension of me. How could I not want it?

"So what…you get him or her every other week or how do you want to work that out?" she asked letting me know she wanted the baby too.

"We could do that or we can do the proper thing and get married." I suggested. I was ready to follow through with it. I honestly didn't think I could stand being married to Emmy for the rest of my life but it was worth the experiment. Plus having Emmy as my life partner could have its advantages. If nothing else she would be a free caregiver to my child.

Marrying her meant she wouldn't leave, taking the baby with her. That meant I would be able to get to know my child. Emmy was merely a vessel for my growing offspring. She would take care of my child while I was in medical school and at work.

**Emmy's P.O.V**

I was scared and happy that the baby was alright. However, I wasn't sure what to think of Jonathan suggesting marriage.

"I'm not marrying a man I hardly know just because he got me pregnant." I informed him.

"Understandable; however in working with each other this past semester I think we have proven to be a strong team. Isn't that all marriage is? A partnership? Plus our child deserves to have both of his or her parents. Don't you agree?" he questioned.

I thought a moment. He did have a good point, we had made a pretty good team this past semester and our child did deserve to have both parents in his/her life constantly.

"Are you asking me to marry you?" I asked him, trying to read his thoughts.

"Yes. I think it would be to our child's benefit. I will graduate at the end of next semester with my Masters and I've already received a full scholarship to and have been accepted to medical school. After schooling and residency is over I'll be a psychiatrist and I'll be able to take care of you and our child. That is if you don't want to work. If you want to work I'm fine with that too." Jonathan told me.

I was surprised with his offer. I couldn't believe how much thought he had put into this in only a few short hours.

"You don't love me." I said to him.

"Marriage is a partnership, love isn't a requirement. Besides, I care for our child. I promise with me both of you will be taken care of." He repeated. I thought another moment. He was making a pretty good argument on why I should marry him. I was surprised he'd even suggest it. Half the time I didn't think he even liked me so why on Earth would he suggest getting married?

"You're serious about this aren't you?" I asked him, seeing that he wasn't joking.

"I wouldn't joke about this. We owe it to our child and I do think we could have a successful partnership." He firmly said.

"It's a long partnership." I told him.

"I understand but I think we can make it work. There's no denying that we are two very different people but sometimes those relationship are the ones that last the longest and are the strongest." He commented. I nodded and thought for a moment.

"I don't want a really big wedding. Let's go to the courthouse and have a quick ceremony, just the two of us." I told him, deciding to accept his proposal. I didn't know what his motivations were but I didn't want to go through the pregnancy alone.

"That's acceptable. We can do that when you're able to leave." He said. I nodded, the sooner the better I guessed. This was going to be more like a business partnership than an actual marriage. I didn't want that; however I did want my child to have both of us readily available. Jonathan was obviously willing to fill the husband and father role.

"Where will we live? My apartment is kind of small for three people." I asked him.

"I have a three bedroom apartment just up the street from you. I believe it will suit our new family nicely." He replied. I went to say something else but a nurse came in.

"I'm sorry sir, but visiting hours are over. I have to ask you to leave." The nurse said to Jonathan. Jonathan turned back to me.

"I will come back tomorrow. I'll let our professors know that you're in the hospital. Hopefully we can work something out so this semester can still count towards your Masters." He offered.

"Thank you." I said. He nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He repeated, giving me a kiss. The kiss felt like death there was no emotion to it. At least he cared enough to want to do what was best for our child.

Once the kiss ended he left. After the nurse took my vitals she left. I sat in the hospital room alone and thought about how my life was turning out. Life was so different from what I had thought it would be.

….

**Author's Note**: _Hello again. Thanks to everyone who is following/favoring my story. A special thanks to gothgirlstrikesagain for reviewing. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Thanks again to all you readers! If you have a moment please leave a review. Construction criticism is always welcome. Thanks!-Lin_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

**Marriage**

"Here." Jonathan said as he shoved a small black case into my hand. He had come back the next evening just as promised.

"What is it?" I asked before I opened the case to see a delicate ring with a small diamond resting in the center.

"It's your wedding ring." He informed me as he sat down on my bed. I was surprised he took the time and money to buy me a ring. I wasn't expecting it at all.

"It's beautiful." I complimented, putting the ring on my left hand ring finger. It felt weird being engaged and wearing a wedding ring. Of course I felt weird being pregnant, so weird shouldn't be a new feeling for me.

"How are you?" Jonathan inquired.

"Alright. The doctor says I can go home tomorrow assuming I don't start bleeding again. I also need to set up a prenatal appointment with an OBGYN." I told him, letting him know what my doctor had told me while he was gone.

"Sounds good. I talked with our professors and they're willing to work with you on getting a final grade for the semester. Dr. Hughes said instead of presenting in front of the class we can just present our project to him when you're up for it." Jonathan informed.

"Oh good; thank you for doing that. I talked to the people in charge of my scholarship and I'll plan on taking classes next semester as long as the pregnancy is low risk and I don't have any more issues with bleeding." I told him my plans for the next semester. I wanted to pursue my education until I wasn't able to.

"That sounds fine. I'm sure between our two scholarships and my job we'll be fine financially." Jonathan commented. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. He was conjuring something.

"Where do you work?" I questioned. I hardly knew anything about the man I was engaged to. I felt like I deserved to know something about his private life.

"You know the pharmacy, the next block from where your apartment is?" he questioned. I nodded in response.

"I'm a pharmacy-tech there."

"Really? How long have you been doing that?"

"I took the program right after high school. It doesn't pay much, but it's decent. Plus I enjoy it." He smirked.

"When do you usually work?" I asked, glad to finally be getting to know him on a more personal level.

"It's only part time. Usually noon to five, that's why I told you not to call me until after five. It's a short work day but its seven days a week, so that helps make up for the lack of hours." He told me. "I'll be specializing in psychopharmacology while in medical school."

"I thought you were specializing in fear." I inquired, hoping to continue this conversation with my husband-to-be.

"I'll have an emphasis in fear but will specialize in psychopharmacology." Jonathan explained. I nodded, it made sense to me. I knew he was super smart when it came to chemistry and math. I also knew, from experience, how much he enjoyed studying fear.

"You know it's sad, you're the main person I know in Gotham, I'm marrying you and I'm just learning this about you." I lamented.

"I'm not exactly an open person now am I? What about you? What do you want to do with your degree in Psychology?" He asked. He seemed somewhat interested so I figured

"I haven't really decided. I was originally an agriculture major back in Iowa. I took a basic Psychology class and have been hooked ever since. I got my Bachelor's in Psychology and as you know now I'm working on my Masters. You would think by now I would have that figured out." I answered embarrassed he had his whole career planned out and I was still trying to decide.

"Psychology is a wide field. I've always known I wanted to study fears, I didn't know I was interested in psychopharmacology until I became a pharmacy tech." he explained.

It was nice having an actual conversation with him that wasn't about our fears. I could tell he had worked hard to get to this point and he wasn't afraid to continue to work hard to achieve his dreams. I could respect him for that and for his willingness to help with the pregnancy.

….

The next day came and I was being released from the hospital. Jonathan had a double shift at the pharmacy so after setting up my first prenatal appointment the nurse got me a cab and I was able to head home.

It felt so great to be out of the hospital. It was so good to be back at my own apartment. I looked around and thought about how I wouldn't be living here too much longer.

'_Maybe I should keep it just in case.'_ I thought to myself not convinced the marriage would really work.

The morning sickness was beginning to kick in. It lasted most of the day so that wasn't too much fun. I tried to eat some crackers and lay on the couch while I felt queasy.

It was around 7 when I heard a knock on the door. I managed to crawl off my couch and walked over to the door. After unlocking it, I opened the door to see Jonathan. That wasn't much of a surprise; he said he was going to stop by.

"Hey." He greeted me as he walked passed me and into the apartment.

"Hey." I said, closing the door behind him and walking back over to the couch. I laid back down trying to keep what little I had in my stomach to stay there.

"Not feeling well?" Jonathan asked as he looked down at me.

"It's just morning sickness." I explained.

"I'll try to pick something up to help with that." Jonathan offered. I smiled and thanked him. I was glad to have him here so I didn't have to go through this alone.

"I picked up our marriage license before work this morning. I thought we'd go down to the courthouse tomorrow morning and get that part taken care of, if you're feeling well enough." He continued.

"Yeah, that would be good to do. Do you work tomorrow?" I asked.

"Just my normal shift." He answered. I nodded as we sat in silence for a couple of minutes.

"We have another issue I forgot about." I told him.

"And what's that?" he asked.

"What are we going to tell our families back home?" I said. He snickered a bit.

"That's not that big of a deal for me. I don't talk to my family." He answered.

"Really? Why not?" I asked.

"Well…long story short I don't like them." He bluntly stated.

"I guess that works. So then I guess the issue is what am I going to tell my family." I thoughtfully said.

"They're not my family, that's up to you."

"That's not helpful."

"Sorry."

"No you're not."

"No, not really but I have other things to spend my time on." He reminded me. He was such a busy person. I wondered what he was going to do without classes for a few weeks. Of course we still had our project to present and he still had work.

"I'll be taking on some more shifts at work since the Christmas break is here. We're usually pretty this time of year." He informed me like he was reading my mind.

"So you want to be here for Christmas? You don't want to fly out to Iowa and meet your new in-laws?" I joked, giving him a half smile.

"Why would I want to do that?" he seriously asked.

"I don't blame you. I don't really want to either." I said. I had enough going on now and this news would start some major family drama.

…..

The next morning I had just finished getting ready when I heard a knock on the door. A second later I heard the door open and shut. I knew Jonathan would be coming soon, so I unlocked the door for him before I got started on my hair. A minute later Jonathan walked into the bathroom next to me.

"Almost ready?" he asked obviously wanting to get this over with. I didn't blame him. I wanted to get it over with too.

"I just finished. What do you think? Does this look good enough to get married in?" I asked him looking down at the lime green and yellow shirt and skirt I had chosen to get married in.

"You look fine." He barely glanced at me. Jonathan was wearing a black suit with a dark red tie. He looked nice.

"Shall we go then?" he asked me. I nodded.

The ceremony was exactly what I wanted. Short, sweet and to the point. There was a side of me that felt guilty that my family wasn't here. They didn't know I was getting married. Actually they didn't know about anything that happened in the last week. That wasn't going to be a fun conversation when it eventually happened.

...

I couldn't believe I was married. I was now Mrs. Emily Crane. This past week was so full of life changing events. After the ceremony was over Jonathan and I walked back to my apartment.

"I was thinking you could come over to my apartment tonight after I'm finished with work. We could have dinner and we can get started on moving you in." Jonathan suggested.

"Sure, I'd like that." I agreed. I hadn't been to his apartment before; I was interested to see what it looked like. Moving in with him and starting our married life seemed kind of nerve wrecking. I still didn't know if we'd last very long, but hey it could be an adventure.

…

A few days passed and I was completely moved out of my little one bedroom apartment. Jonathan was a very neat and organized person. I could tell by his apartment, though he did have some clutter here and there. I was very glad to see that so I knew I didn't have to keep the apartment completely spotless.

We had finally been able to present our project which we got an "A" on and I was able to take all my finals.

The Christmas break would be over soon and we would be starting classes up again. Jonathan and I had a few classes together this upcoming semester. So that might be fun.

I was now eight weeks pregnant and it was the day of my first prenatal appointment with Dr. Elmer, the OBGYN I would be seeing during the pregnancy. Jonathan was at work, so I ended up going to my appointment by myself. It went well, everything looked good and the doctor even scheduled me for another ultrasound in a couple of weeks. He did notice my iron levels were low so he prescribed me a prenatal vitamin with extra iron.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

Work was busy as normal this time of year. I had just finished filling a prescription when I heard the phone ring. The others were busy, so I answered it.

"This is Pharmacy, how can I help you?" I asked into the phone.

"Hi, this is Jane from Dr. Elmer's office; I need to call in a prescription." The woman on the other end of the line said.

"Alright, name and birth date of the patient, please." I said, going over to the computer to type in the information I needed.

"Emily Crane and her birthday is June 5." The woman told me. I paused a moment realizing this was a prescription for my wife.

"What does she need?" I asked, once I finished typing in Emmy's name and birthday. I was relieved when I found out it was only for vitamins. I had been slightly worried that something was wrong with the baby.

A few hours passed and it was now 4:45. I would be getting off of work in 15 minutes and Emmy still hadn't picked up her vitamins.

_'I'll just take them home with me if she doesn't pick them up._' I thought to myself, as I helped a man check out. I looked to the next person in line and was pleasantly surprised to see Emmy. She smiled at me as she walked up to the counter.

"Hey." She greeted when she reached me.

"Give me five minutes and I'll have that out for you." I told her before turning around to grab her vitamins.

"Don't you need my information?" she asked and winked.

"I'm pretty sure I know your information." I informed her with a smirked before heading to the back.

"Who do you need?" Greg, another pharmacy tech asked me as I looked through the bags for Emmy's name.

"Emily Crane." I replied as I picked up the bag with her name on it.

"Crane? Is she related to you?" My coworker asked. This guy was more annoying than Emmy was and there were times it took all my strength not to ring his neck. Emmy had some intelligence, this guy had none.

"She's my wife." I replied.

"You're wife? When did you get married?"

"About two and half weeks ago." I answered, going back to the front counter. Emmy gave me a small smile as I handed her the bag. I quickly typed her information into the computer.

"Do you still get off at 5?" she asked.

"That will be $8.50 and yes, I do." I told her. Emmy handed me a 10 dollar bill.

"Do you mind if I wait for you? I was thinking we could go to that little Thai food place a few doors down for dinner." She asked me. I smirked.

"Pregnancy craving?" I asked her handing her, her change.

"Yep." She replied.

"That would be fine." I told her.

"Ok, I'll just wait over here." She said before walking away. I nodded to her and turned to my next client.

...

About ten minutes later I hung up the white lab coat I wore for work and walked over to Emmy.

"You ready to go?" I asked her. She turned to me, nodded and soon we were out the door.

The last two and half weeks had been interesting. We had managed to sell Emmy's apartment contract, got her completely moved into my apartment and she had managed to eat Thai food every night for about a week now.

"That baby must sure like spicy food." I commented as we walked into the Thai restaurant she managed to notice.

"I think so." Emmy smiled.

Things had definitely been different since Emmy and I started living together. I was able to get Emmy to open up with me more. If I was going to allow her to raise my child, I needed to know her better. I found out she had five brothers; she told me a lot about growing up on her father's farm and about the university back in Iowa. I didn't understand why she decided to move to Gotham, where she seemed to enjoy the university back in her home state. I had asked her but she brushed it off. I was going to find out, but decided to do so slowly. I could tell, though she denied it, she wanted to go back to Iowa for a visit. She still hadn't told her family about me or the pregnancy. I decided to stay out of that one and just watch as things unfolded.

…..

**Author's Note**: _Hello everyone. Thanks for checking out my story. I hope you enjoyed chapter four. Thank you to those who are following/favoring my story. Special thanks to Meg and Nommy for the reviews._

**Meg**-_The answers to your questions are in chapter two. It's the last part of the chapter in Jonathan's P.O.V._

**Nommy**-_Thank you! I hope you will continue to like it. :)_

_Thanks again everyone. Please leave a review if you have a moment. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thank!-Lin_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

**The Farm**

"_Emily, its mom, please call me back when you get a chance." _

"_Emily, it's your mother, call me."_

"_Emily Rae Dawson, call your mother NOW!" _My mother yelled at me through my voice-mail.

I had been avoiding phone calls from my family since the day I found out I was pregnant. I was probably causing more family drama but between the pregnancy and school just starting up they were the last people I wanted to deal with.

"Are you excited for classes to start back up?" I asked Jonathan as we were getting ready for school.

"The sooner classes start the faster I get my degree." Jonathan replied as he packed his textbooks in his book bag.

"That's true." I acknowledged as my stomach started to get queasy again. I lay down on the bed, hoping to get it to settle down. Jonathan looked at me for a moment before leaving the room. After a few moments, I grabbed the bag of sour patch kids I had laying on the nightstand. I popped one in my mouth and hoped I could feel a bit better before my first class of the day.

Jonathan came back into the room holding a cup.

"Here." He said, handing it to me and going back over to his book bag.

I sat up and took a sip of the liquid that sat inside.

"Last month all this baby wanted was Thai food, now all he/she wants is sprite and sour patch kids. This can't be healthy." I thought out loud.

"Its not. That's what the vitamins are for." Jonathan remarked while he made sure he had everything. I had packed my bag the night before incase I was going to feel sick the next morning.

We both had classes at 8, not together but still it was getting to be time to leave. I put the cup on the nightstand, pushed myself off of the bed and quickly finished getting ready.

"You're sure you're up for this?" Jonathan asked looking at the alarm clock on the nightstand. I could tell he wanted to leave for class.

"I have to be. There's no way I'm throwing my education away because of a little morning sickness. Besides I'm ten weeks along now, hopefully there will only be two to four more weeks of this." I answered picking up my book bag.

We walked in silence for a few minutes before Jonathan asked, "What time is your ultrasound tomorrow?"

"11:30." I replied. I knew he wanted to be there for the ultrasound.

"I'll still be in class at that time. Bring me a sonogram if you're able." He said. I nodded. I was glad he wanted to be as involved with the pregnancy as he could be.

"You know I will." I told him. He looked at me and nodded. About 15 minutes later we were on campus.

"I'll see you in an hour." Jonathan said as we parted ways. Our next class was together so that would be fun...maybe.

…

"So how was your first class?" Jonathan asked me as I sat down next to him for our next class.

"I'm positive that Professor thinks I'm a spaz. I ended leaving class three times because of my morning sickness." I answered.

"Did you tell him why you were leaving so much?" Jonathan inquired.

"He was the first one out of the door. I'll try to talk to him later." I said just as our Professor came in.

…..

Jonathan and I spent most of the morning in class. Then Jonathan went to work while I went to the library and we eventually met at home. He barely said "hi" to me before grabbing one of the tacos I had made and went into the room he used as an office. I watched him turn on his laptop and pull out one of his textbooks as he got started on his homework. I had finished most of my homework except for some reading.

Deciding to leave Jonathan be, I grabbed one of my textbooks out, sat on the couch and started to read the assigned chapter. Around midnight I put my books aside and decided it was time for bed. I walked by Jonathan's office to see he was still working on his assignments. I walked into the room and up to him.

"I'm going to head to bed." I told him.

"Go ahead. I should be there shortly." He answered, still focusing on his work. I nodded and left the room. After I got finished getting ready for bed, I looked back in on Jonathan. His fingers were still typing furiously on the laptop.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

The first day of class came and went. Emmy was sick but with time she'd get over it and could hopefully be more comfortable the rest of the pregnancy.

Today was Emmy's ultrasound. I felt impatient and wanted the class to end. I wanted to know how things were going with the baby.

Class had just finished and I was packing my things up when I heard my cell phone buzz. I quickly got it out knowing it would be Emmy. Instead of a call she sent me a picture text. I opened it to see a sonogram with the captions _"Pretty cute huh?"_ A second later I got another text that read _"Heartbeat"_ when I opened that one I heard the flutters of my child's heartbeat.

I had just walked out of the classroom when Emmy called.

"How did things go?" I asked her.

"Things are looking really good. The baby has a good strong heartbeat and I have a few more sonograms to show you." I heard Emmy's voice say. I could tell she was excited. I smiled at her enthusiasm.

"I look forward to seeing them."

**Emmy's P.O.V**

The semester went on and I was starting to feel better. I was about four months pregnant and the morning sickness had died down. Jonathan was super busy and I hardly saw him outside of school. Then he was home he was always studying.

I had just finished cooking dinner when Jonathan came home. He walked passed me and put his book bag down on his desk in his office. I put some food on a plate to take to him but was surprised to see him coming back out.

"Here." Jonathan said, handing me an envelope.

"What's this?" I asked as I opened the envelope to see two tickets to Iowa.

"I figured we would go out that way for Spring Break. I have the week off and it would be nice to get out of Gotham for a while." He replied, taking the plate of food I had prepared for him.

"You want to go to Iowa?" I asked a little confused.

"No but you do. Don't even bother trying to deny it." Jonathan dictated, before going back to his office. I stood in the kitchen not believing what just happened. Spring break was only two weeks away and I hadn't told my parents anything about Jonathan or the pregnancy. Actually I hadn't talked to them for about two months now. I loved Iowa but I wasn't sure how I felt about seeing my family.

…

_'I can't believe I'm back.'_ I thought to myself as Jonathan and I got off of our plane. Once we got our luggage and rental car, we headed for my family's farm. I drove since I knew the territory better and he wanted to work on homework.

"So here's the deal with my family…" I started to say when Jonathan interrupted me.

"So you wait until after you get me here to tell me there's a deal with your family?" He was clearly unimpressed.

"Well, the thing is…my dad didn't want me to go out to Gotham. He will pull every string he can think of to try to get me stay here in Iowa. They don't know about you or the baby and they're actually don't know we're coming." I explained.

"Well that's not my fault now is it?" he asked. I shook my head. I had been avoiding them and didn't really want to face them.

"No its not. Just don't expect to be there the whole week."

…

After an hour and a half, we pulled into the dirt driveway in front of my parents' house. It was still early afternoon so my brothers and father would be out in the field working. My mother and Grandma Marge sat on the porch crocheting and gossiping.

"Are you kids lost?" My mother asked standing up and walking over to us as Jonathan and I got out of the car.

"Hi mom." I greeted her while I walked over to Jonathan. She stared at me for a moment.

"Emily!" my mother exclaimed happily coming over and giving me a hug.

"It's so good to see you, I didn't realize you were coming back home." She chirped, as Jonathan started to get our bags out of the car.

"Yeah I thought we'd surprise you." I explained. As much as I was dreading this trip, I was happy to see her.

"Well you did. Who's your friend?" My mom asked, now eying Jonathan.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet Jonathan." I introduced the two of them. Jonathan and my mother shook hands.

"Why don't you two come inside? I have some chocolate chip cookies that should be ready soon." My mom suggested, as Jonathan and I grabbed our bags and headed into the house with Grandma Marge close behind.

"Emmy! Its so good to see you my dear." Grandma Marge smiled at me.

"Hi Grandma." I greeted, giving her a hug.

"Who's this handsome young man?" she asked me winking at Jonathan.

"Grandma Marge I'd like you to meet Jonathan." I said putting a hand on Jonathan's arm.

"Nice to meet you." He said to her.

"Nice to meet you." Grandma Marge said with an impish smile. She then motioned for me to lean in.

"Emmy, you need to tap that dear…he's a hottie." She "whispered" loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Grandma!" I said shocked by what she had said, while thinking _'I kind of already did.'_ I looked over to Jonathan who seemed surprised by my Grandma's assessment of him.

"Emmy why don't you go put your suitcase in your room and show Jonathan to the guest bedroom?" My mom suggested as she took the cookies out of the oven.

"Actually Jonathan will be staying in my room." I informed her. She paused for a moment. My mother was a very traditional, no sex before marriage kind of person. Where she didn't know Jonathan and I were married, I could just imagine what was going through her head at this point. She stood up and plastered a fake smile on her face.

"If that's what you want, dear." She said through tightly pressed lips. I nodded and walked with Jonathan up the stairs to my room.

Once in my room I closed the door and turned back to Jonathan.

"My mother's going to murder me." I exaggerated, putting my suitcase on the bed.

"I highly doubt it." Jonathan said following my actions.

"I'm sorry about my Grandmother; I forgot to warn you that she's more boy crazy than a teenage girl." I apologized, sitting on the bed.

"She's…interesting." He assessed as he sat next to me.

"Are you alright?" he asked as I placed a hand on my stomach and stared off into the corner. I nodded, this wasn't going to be a fun week.

…

I helped my mom set the table while my grandma flirted with Jonathan. I had just finished setting the table, when I heard a loud clutter of mens' voices fill the air. The door opened to reveal my brothers. It took them only a few seconds to notice I was there.

"Emmy!" My brother Karl said smiling and coming over to me. He picked me up, twirled me around and set me down in the crowd of my brothers. They all spoke at once asking me all sorts of questions mostly revolving around when I got there and how long I would be staying. It was good to see them. I had always been close with my brothers.

I went to introduce them to Jonathan when my father came in. He took a look at me, huffed and walked off to get changed to dinner.

...

Once we were all sat around the dinner table my mother started the conversation.

"So Jonathan how did you and Emmy meet?" she asked, hoping to get to know him better.

"We meet in a class; our professor had us do a group project together." Jonathan replied not really wanting to get into it. I could tell he was going to make me be the one who told them everything.

"Are you studying Psychology too?" Karl asked Jonathan. Jonathan nodded.

"Jonathan will get his Masters in Psychology at the end of the semester. He starts medical school in the fall to become a Psychiatrist." I said, knowing Jonathan wasn't going to be too open with them.

"Really?" my mother asked a little impressed.

"It would be nice to have a doctor in the family." My grandmother suggested blowing Jonathan a kiss.

"There's nothing wrong with being a farmer." My dad snorted/.

"No one said there was, Charley." My mother responded. We finished the rest of dinner in silence.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

Emmy's family were interesting people. I watched Emmy interact with them trying to learn what kind of family bond they shared. Everything seemed to be pretty cheerful except when Emmy said I would be sharing a room with her and then again when her father was around. There was something going on between Emmy and her father and I was going to find out what it was.


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning:** _There is some sexual content in this chapter. Not a lemon more of a lime but may or may not deserve a warning._

**Chapter 6:**

**The Quiet before the Storm**

I woke up at the crack of dawn as I had done while I was growing up on the farm. I looked to my side to see Jonathan was a sleep with one of his text books in his hand. I smiled thinking about how hard he was working to get his degree. He was honorable in that sense.

I got out of bed, changed into some clothes I didn't mind getting dirty and made my way down the stairs.

"What can I help with?" I asked my brothers while they got ready to head out into the field.

"We need to go fix a pipeline but you can go feed the chickens, get some breakfast and then pick some corn." My father replied, staring daggers at me. I nodded, grabbed a bucket of chicken feed and walked out the door. This was one of the chores I had, had when I was a kid. I would feed the chickens and then gather their eggs.

I had just finished feeding chickens when I heard someone walking up to me. I turned to see my mother.

"Hi mom." I greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning Emily." She nodded as we walked into the chicken coop to gather up the eggs.

"How are things back in Gotham? How's school?" she inquired, trying to end the awkward silence.

"Good. I aced all my classes last semester and we're on spring break this semester so things are going well." I answered.

"That's good. So, how close are you to this Jonathan guy? Do you see him often?" My mother pried.

"I live with him." I bluntly stated before I turned to her. I watched her closely to make sure she wasn't going to faint. Her eyes widened as she turned to look at me.

"So you have a serious relationship with him?" she questioned. I nodded. That was more or less true.

"How long have you two lived together?"

"A little under 4 months."

"I see. So you don't think you'll back to stay, then?"

"Mom, I'm not moving back here. I don't want the life Dad wants for me." I informed her.

"Please understand. He just wants to protect you." She replied.

"I do understand. He needs to understand that I don't need to hold his hand anymore. I need his support. I don't understand why he hates me going to school so much."

"He doesn't hate you going to school. He just wants you to be a farmer's wife, Emmy. There's nothing wrong with that. I don't understand what we did to make you hate this lifestyle so much."

"I love this lifestyle. I love farming and I love being out here with you guys. But I enjoy Psychology and I don't want to marry someone just because Dad chose the guy…he's not going to bring over the neighbors' sons again is he?" I asked her. It would be the first time he invited a guy over to dinner.

"He's already invited Tommy Barnes to dinner." My mother replied.

"Great." I rolled my eyes at my dad's attempt to play matchmaker.

"I'm not going to be a farmer's wife, mom. I'm going to be a doctor's wife." I told her, assuming the marriage lasted that long.

"So Jonathan's purposed?" she asked.

"Sort of." I said lifting up my hand to show her my ring.

"I see. When's the wedding?" she questioned.

"It was back in December." I answered. There was a long silence as my mother took in the news.

"What?" she asked.

"We're already married." I repeated.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I knew how dad would react."

"You didn't want us there?"

"We wanted a small wedding, considering the circumstances." I told her.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm pregnant."

"What? When are you due?" she inquired.

"The end of August possibly September." I told her. She went quiet. I watched her and she seemed to seep the information in.

"I think you two better go." She stated.

"What?" I asked her.

"You better go before your father finds out. Emmy this will hurt and disappointment him."

"Mom, he's an adult. I'm his daughter. He should be supporting me with my decisions not getting 'hurt' by them." I told her.

"Your life should be your decision but it's not in his mind. Emily, you know your father, he expects you and your brothers to take over the family farm someday."

"He has five sons…..he doesn't need me."

"Emmy, do you even love Jonathan?" she asked, changing the subject as I started to leave the coop to take the eggs to the kitchen.

"Marriage is a partnership. Love isn't a requirement." I answered with that I walked off.

I had just gotten to the door when I realized I left Jonathan alone in the house with my flirtatious Grandma Marge.

_'Crap! I hope she didn't try to get him while he was in the shower.'_ I thought as I quickly ran up the stairs to my room. Jonathan opened the door just as I got there.

"Ah Emmy, I was wondering where you went." He greeted when he realized I was there.

"Please tell me my grandmother didn't do anything to you." I inquired.

"I haven't seen her today." He answered.

"Good. Why don't you come down to the kitchen? I'll make you breakfast." I offered. He nodded and we went back downstairs.

"How do you want your eggs?" I asked as I grabbed some of the eggs I had just gathered and a frying pan.

"Just my usual way." Jonathan answered. I nodded and got started on our eggs. My mother came in and looked at the two of us before huffing away.

_'Great more family drama.'_ I thought to myself turning back to the food.

"I don't think your parents care for me." Jonathan observed.

"They don't care for anyone they think will lure me away from their lifestyle." I told him turning the eggs.

"Do you mind getting those clothes dirty?" I asked, looking over at him.

"I'd prefer not to but it would be fine." He answered.

"I have to go pick some corn but I want to show you something before I get started. You may get a little dirty though."

"Where are we going?"

"Someplace I think you'd be interested to see."

…..

After we finished our eggs Jonathan and I walked out to the corn field.

"I though you hated coming out here." Jonathan stated.

"I do, that's why I brought this." I said, nodding down to my gun.

"Have you enjoyed your reunion with your family?" he asked me after a few minutes of silence as we walked to the center of the field.

"It's been nice seeing everyone but I'd be ok if we were to leave today." I told him.

"Why is that?" he asked me. I could tell he was using this as an experiment and I couldn't figure out why. What could he hope to learn or gain from my family? We were simple folk, nothing more.

"It's not important. My mom cornered me when I was out collecting eggs. I told her everything. She wants us to leave before my dad finds we're married and I'm pregnant."

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I thought a moment about what Emmy had said.

"Your family is very…traditional?" I asked trying to learn as much about the environment Emmy grew up in as I could. I wanted to dominate her mind and the only way to do that is to understand her completely.

"Oh yes, almost to the point of being extremist about it. My dad still thinks it's his job to find me someone to marry. Speaking of which, he has invited a guy he wants me to date for dinner so be prepared for an entertaining and awkward night."

"I thought you said you told your mother?" I asked her, hoping to get more information about her father.

"I did tell her. My dad invited the guy over before I told her. There's no way I'm telling my father."

"Why not?"

"There are just some buttons that don't need to be pushed. This is one of them." She said, obviously not wanting to get in to any details with me. Why she would be this way towards her family? I knew a lot of girls that would have called their parents immediately after getting engaged, married or hell even after getting a hangnail. Emmy didn't seem to have any interest in telling her family anything about her life.

"Why doesn't your father want you to be in Gotham; besides the obvious fact that it's a dangerous city?" I asked her. Emmy sighed and stopped walking.

"My father has some control issues. He wants me to stay here, marry a farmer and eventually help my brothers run the farm. Psychology isn't something he thinks is worthwhile."

"He doesn't think understanding the mind is important?"

"He's a man of the land. It's all he knows." she explained.

We continued to walk until we came to a small opening with a scarecrow hanging in the middle.

"Well, we're here. I'd like you to meet Brian, the scarecrow that helped start my fear of scarecrows." Emmy said as we looked up to the figure before us. I was hoping to get her to come out here but was surprised she did it on her own.

After talking and spending a half hour in the cornfield, Emmy turned to me.

"I better get picking corn. You can help me if you want or you go back to the house." She stated.

"I think I'll head back. I have to some homework to do." I told her. She just nodded, gave me a quick, pathetic kiss and walked off.

…..

Once I was back at the house I went to walk up the stairs when I ran into Emmy's mother and Grandmother.

"Excuse me." I said, hoping to get passed them quickly to get back to my studies. I had four essays due and some other work projects before the break ended.

"Jonathan. A word please." Mrs. Dawson requested.

"Of course Mrs. Dawson." I agreed. I followed her into the front room where we sat down.

"Look, I know about yours and Emmy's little fling and I know there's a child involved, however I can't allow this marriage to continue." Mrs. Dawson tried to dictate.

"Oh?" I asked. This was getting interesting. Mrs. Dawson seemed like a very meek person. It didn't fit her personality to try to take charge over something besides household chores.

"I want you to ask her for an annulment. Please either take the baby or put it up for adoption once it's born. Tell her she belongs here and that she has no business back in Gotham. She needs to be here." Mrs. Dawson's voice quivered while she tried to keep her emotions in tack.

"Mrs. Dawson, Emmy made her decision; her education is something she wants and she wants this baby." I told her.

"She doesn't want this marriage and she shouldn't be stuck in it."

"I asked Emmy to marry me, she didn't have to say yes and she can leave at any point if she so chooses. Until that point I suggest you leave her alone. She wants her education, she chose this marriage and she wants to keep this baby." I repeated.

"But it's ruining her life; she hasn't been the same since she went off to college. It's like I don't even know her now."

"That was also Emmy's choice."

"But she's choosing wrong."

"Mrs. Dawson, Emmy is an adult; she is going to continue her education, she is pursuing this marriage and she is going to have my baby. Nothing you do or say is going to change that."

"But…"

"If you want things to change, I suggest you talk to your daughter, not me." I instructed before I stood up and left the room.

**Emmy's P.O.V**

I had just finished picking corn and was on my way back when I ran into my father.

"Emmy." He sneered at me.

"Hi dad." I replied, hoping I could just leave.

"Where's your boyfriend?" he asked.

"Jonathan's back at the house."

"I see. How are things in Gotham? Do you enjoy it there?"

"For the most part, I do."

"Still wasting your time on that Psychology crap?"

"It's not crap dad; it's the study of how and why we think what we do. Its helped me understand who I am and who I want to be, better."

"You were happy studying Agriculture here in Iowa. You were supposed to come home after you realized that Gotham was dangerous and so is this nonsense you're getting into."

"This nonsense helps people overcome their trials every day. I love it and its important to me." I said trying to get him to understand.

"You're just wasting your time and money on this junk. Just come home, marry Tommy and help the boys and me run the farm."

"No."

….

After that little chat with my dad I went back to the house, walked right passed my mom, up the stairs and into my room. Jonathan was sitting by the window reading and taking notes. He looked up at me as the door opened and closed.

"Emmy." He barely greeted me before going back to his studies.

"How are your assignments coming?" I asked while I made my way over to my suitcase.

"Alright, just time consuming." He replied looking back up me as I took off my shirt and pants.

"What are you doing?" he inquired, setting his books to the side.

"I need to get a shower before dinner tonight." I told him taking some clean clothes out of my suitcase. I looked back at him in nothing my bra and underwear. I noticed he had that same look of lust he had the night I got pregnant.

"Why, you want to join me?" I asked him raising an eyebrow.

Jonathan stood up and walked over to me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking and it drove me nuts. I wish I could read him better. I slowly started to back away as he approached me. I backed away until my back met my bedroom wall. Jonathan kept walking until he was about an inch away. His hand grabbed my wrist and held my arm above my head.

"Would you say no?" he whispered, his face not even an in away from mine now. I shook my head lightly, my eyes locked on his. His lips smashed onto mine in a rough kiss. His hand that wasn't holding my arm above my head went to my waist as he pressed his body against mine. His hand slowly moved up from my waist to my breast. God he had me turned on.

His hand left my breast going to my leg and bringing it up around his waist so I could feel him against me. '_You have to stop this Emmy.' _I thought before I gently pushed him away.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I looked at Emmy after she pushed me away.

"I'm sorry. I can't have sex in this house." Emmy said to me walking away from me and into the bathroom attached to her room. I looked after her, stripped down and walked after her. Emmy had just turned the water on when I walked into the bathroom. She looked up at me and quickly looked away when she realized I wasn't wearing any clothes.

"I told you no." she reminded me. I walked up to her until we were close together as we were before she left the room.

"You want me. I know you do." I whispered to her. Emmy was so easy to read in this state of mind. She looked at me for a moment before she initiated a kiss.

"At least lock the door so my Grandma Marge doesn't walk in on us." She stated.

"Agreed."

….

**Author's Note:**_ Hello again. Sorry to take so long updating. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks to those following/favoring my story. Thanks to Push to Shove for reviewing. I'm hoping to have the next chapter out in the next day or two. Please leave a review if you have a moment. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks!-Lin_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

**Revealed**

**Emmy's P.O.V**

I wiped the drops of water from my hair with a towel as I walked back into my bedroom. After our little lovemaking session, Jonathan went right back to studying and I got my shower. I wasn't sure how many assignments he had to have finished before classes started back up but I knew there were several of them. Speaking of which, I needed to finish some of my own projects.

"I hope no one heard us." I commented, knowing we hadn't been the quietest.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Even if they did hear us they won't say anything." Jonathan replied without looking up from his book.

"Two words….Grandma Marge." I stated. Jonathan stopped what he was doing.

"Yeah she probably would." He nodded, glancing over to me for a moment before going back to his homework.

I watched him for a moment before heading back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for dinner. I wondered how things would be tonight. I knew my mother wouldn't tell my dad I was married and pregnant…well not while I'm here, at least. He would find out eventually but I was determined not to be around when he did find out.

_{Flashback}_

_I was in my dorm room back at the University of Iowa when I heard a knock on the door. I quickly got off my bed and opened the door to reveal my father. _

"_Hey dad!" I greeted him with a smile._

_"What's this I hear about you switching your major and going into psychology?" My father questioned as he walked into the room. _

"_Yes. Dad it's a fascinating subject, I'm learning so much about…." I started to say happily when my father grabbed my arm and shoved me backwards into the wall. _

"_I don't care. I'm not going to let my daughter waste her time on something she's never going to use." He harshly said. _

"_I could get a decent job in psychology after I finish the mastery program." I told him. _

"_The only reason you are here is so you can learn the basic business skills of agriculture and practice your violin. Anything else is unimportant." _

"_But I enjoy it…"_

"_Its pointless, some people think right and others are nuts that's all you need to know." _

"_There's so much more to it than just that…" I tried to tell him but he wouldn't hear it and he threw me back this time hitting the floor. _

"_Now, I want you to go back to your academic councilor and switch your major back. I need you on the farm. I…I'll see you this weekend." My father slightly stuttered before leaving my dorm. _

_{End of Flashback}_

It had been almost four years since that day. I had debated about going into Agriculture to make my dad happy. I knew, as much as I loved farming, I would never be completely happy doing it for the rest of my life.

Psychology had brought out a bit of a rebellion in me, at least in my parents' mind. It didn't matter what I said or did to try to show them why I found it fascinating. They always just brushed it off or whenever I would talk about it with my dad he would get rough with me. I was lucky my dad was busy in the cornfield when I saw him. Otherwise I may have come in with a black eye and I didn't want to have to explain that to Jonathan. He had his secrets; I didn't want to have to tell him mine.

I walked back into my room when there was a knock on the door.

"Emmy I know you two are getting it on in there, but it's time for dinner." Grandma Marge called through the door. Jonathan looked up from his book as I looked over to him.

"I think she heard." He said, setting the book aside.

"I think so."

When we emerged from the room Grandma Marge was standing outside the door. She patted my back.

"That's my girl!" She complimented.

"Grandma!" I exclaimed, trying to get her to be quiet while Jonathan smirked.

We made our way down to the kitchen where my parents, brothers and Tommy Barnes were waiting for us.

"Emmy, you remember Tommy Barnes." My dad said pushing Jonathan away from me as he motioned for Tommy to come over.

"Hi Tommy." I said to the blonde haired boy in front of me. I remembered him from school as it was hard to forget the barefoot hick. He was super smart when it came to farming…..but the poor guy had no common sense when it came to anything else.

"Hi Emmy. It's been a long time. You're still purttier than a potbellied pig." Tommy smiled; I'm sure trying to come up with the best compliment he could think of.

"Uh…..Thanks." I answered shaking his hand. He seemed pretty proud of himself and walked back over to the table with my dad.

"Please tell me that's not an actual compliment here." Jonathan whispered to me, putting his hand on my back as we joined the family at the table.

"It's not, he's just trying to be nice." I told him.

Once everyone was sitting conversations throughout the table began. Tommy tried to reminisce high school with me. He was telling Jonathan anything he happened to remember about me.

Most farmers weren't this dumb, many of them were really smart, so aside being a sweet guy, I didn't understand why my dad wanted me to marry this particular guy. I felt bad as Tommy happily chatted away. I didn't mind being his friend, but I never really felt or saw him as anything other than that.

When dinner finished the family went out on the porch to enjoy a fresh cherry pie and the cool crystal evening. I loved this about Iowa, I loved sitting on the front porch watching the breeze brush through the corn stalks. It was so relaxing.

Tommy had left and Jonathan and I were getting ready to walk back into the house when I heard a woman's voice coming from the road.

"Emmy." She shouted out waving at me. I smiled and waved, recognizing her immediately. Once she reached the house she jumped off her horse and gave me a hug.

"Mae-Lynne!" I happily greeted her as the hug ended. Mae-Lynne had been my best friend throughout high school. It was so good to see her. I turned back to see Jonathan studying us quietly.

"Mae-Lynne, I'd like you to meet Jonathan. Jonathan this is Mae-Lynne, my best friend." I said introducing the two. Jonathan nodded to her but his attention turned back to me.

"So you must be the lucky guy who got Emmy to settle down and start a family?" Mae-Lynne asked Jonathan with a smile.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

"Excuse me?" I asked her confused. Emmy said only her mother knew about us and she had never mentioned this Mae-Lynne person before.

"Emmy's mom told my mom that you two got married and are having a baby in August or September. I'm so happy for you Emmy." Mae-Lynne explained. Emmy looked shocked and went to say something but was interrupted by her father's voice.

"What did you say?" Mr. Dawson said coming down the stairs over to us. I watched hoping to see exactly what kind of relationship Emmy had with her father. I wanted to know why she didn't want to tell him anything and I wanted to see how she would handle this situation. The color drained from Emmy's face as she looked at her father shocked.

"You hadn't told him yet?" Mae-Lynne asked Emmy. Emmy shook her head.

"I am so sorry." Mae-Lynne apologized as Emmy put her hand up and gave her a bit of a smile.

"You're pregnant?" Mr. Dawson shouted standing about a foot away from Emmy. Emmy looked to the ground avoiding his eyes as she nodded.

"Yes." She answered looking up at him now.

"And you married this guy?" Mr. Dawson hissed before he nodded to me.

"Yes." Emmy simply replied.

"Why because he's going to be a big fancy rich doctor?" Mr. Dawson yelled.

"That has nothing to do with this." Emmy calmly stated.

"Were you going to tell me?"

"No."

"So you were going to let me continue to make an idiot out of myself by trying to set you up with more suitable men?"

"Jonathan is a fine man."

"First you go off to college, then you change your degree and now this? I don't even know you anymore." Mr. Dawson growled.

"I have tried to include you in my life. I found a subject that I love and I wanted you to be a part of the journey with me. _You_ pushed me away." Emmy firmly said. I listened closely, hoping to learn exactly what caused this falling out. Mr. Dawson watched her with a look of disgust.

"There is nothing wrong with me pursing my own life and I had every right to….." Emmy started to say when her father grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her to the ground. I quickly made my way to Emmy and stood between her and her father. I wanted to know what caused this but I wasn't about to endanger my unborn child for it.

"That's enough." I said calmly. Mr. Dawson's eyes filled with hatred as he looked between me and his daughter.

"You had no right to tear this family apart. Get your things and get out." Mr. Dawson hissed.

"What?" Emmy asked.

"Get your things and get out. I don't have a daughter…..not anymore."

**Emmy's P.O.V**

"What?" I asked my father.

"Get your things and get out. I don't have a daughter…not anymore." He said giving me one last look before walking away. I stood up and took a few steps towards him.

"If I leave here tonight… like this…I'm not coming back." I told him. My father stopped a moment but then kept walking letting me know he didn't want me to come back.

I held the tears in as Jonathan and I quickly packed up our things and walked out of the door. My mother gave me a quick hug as my brother Karl pulled Jonathan off to the side. I couldn't hear the conversation between them but at this point I didn't care. I just wanted to get out of here.

I walked up to Karl and Jonathan.

"Do you mind driving?" I asked Jonathan knowing I wasn't in the best state of mind to drive. He nodded and took the keys from me. Once things were packed in the car, we drove off. I watched the farm I had grown up on and loved, slowly disappear into the sunset sky.

We were a couple cities over when Jonathan finally pulled into a hotel parking lot.

"Is this alright?" he questioned. I looked up at the building and nodded. I didn't want to say anything to him. I didn't blame him for this, it was completely my fault. I didn't want to talk to him at the moment either though as I tried to sort out what had happened.

Once in our newly acquired hotel room, I sat on the bed. Unable to hold my tears in, I pulled my knees to my chest and started to cry.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I had just put my suitcase on the bench next to the bed when I heard Emmy let out a lite sob. I turned to her realizing she was crying but trying to hide it. She hadn't said a word to me since we left the farm and I wasn't sure if trying to comfort her would help or make it worse. I also wasn't sure how much of it was pregnancy hormones. She had held her own pretty strongly out there without getting emotional until now.

Not wanting to listen to the crying all night and hoping this would be a better opportunity to get into her head, I walked up to her and sat on the bed next to her. Her body stiffened at my presence. I put my hand on hers. She looked at our hands for a moment. Within a few minutes she had managed to stop the tears.

Her eyes looked up at mine for a moment before turning a way. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to smile at me.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, "it must be the pregnancy hormones."

**Emmy's P.O.V**

I felt embarrassed as Jonathan watched me closely. I tried to smile as I wiped away the tears.

"I'm sorry. It must be the pregnancy hormones." I whispered.

"Don't worry about it. Do what you need to do." He stated. I nodded and looked away from him.

"I've been trying for four years to get him to understand me. If its not farming or marrying someone of his choosing he doesn't want to hear it." I tried to explain.

"Some people just can't handle change." Jonathan commented. I nodded remembering that lesson back in school.

"Are you going to be alright?" He asked. I nodded.

"I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Its why I didn't want to tell him." I explained. "I just want to get back to Gotham and move on."

"Our plane leaves in three days, then things can get back to normal." He told me. I nodded, I didn't want to wait that long but he had already spent the money for our tickets and it was only three days.

"I have a doctor's appointment on Monday. I can't wait to hear this little ones heartbeat again." I smiled, changing the subject. He gave me one of his half smiles and gently put his hand on my stomach. I watched him as he looked down where our little one was developing.

"Would you rather have a girl or a boy?" I questioned.

"Just a healthy baby." He answered.

"Five more weeks until we find out." I reminded him. "Then we'll be halfway through the pregnancy."

"Then we can start getting ready for his arrival." He stated.

"His?" I inquired.

"It's just a guess, it means nothing." Jonathan quickly said. I nodded, I had a feeling it was a boy to but didn't say anything. I was sad this chapter of my life was over but with Jonathan and the baby a new one was starting. I could only hope it would end happier.

….

**Author's Note:** _There's chapter seven. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks to those who are following and favoring my story. Thanks to Push to Shove for reviewing. Please leave a review if you have a moment. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks!-Lin_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

**Change**

The three days came and went and I was glad to be back in Gotham. Things went right back to normal once classes started up again. That was alright with me. I'd rather drown myself in my studies or with doctor's appointment than think about what had happened back in Iowa. I didn't know if I'd ever go back or if I even wanted to now.

A couple weeks passed and were pretty uneventful. We went back to our normal routine of classes, homework and Jonathan going to work. It was getting close to five so I decided to get started on dinner. Spaghetti sounded good so I started to boil some water and got out the noodles. A few minutes passed and I heard a knock on the door. Thinking Jonathan had managed to forget his key, something he never did, I just walked over to the door.

"Forget your key?" I asked while I opened it but was surprised to see my brother Karl.

"Emmy." Karl smiled. I stared at him for a moment. Panicking, I quickly shut the door on him. I had no idea why he was here, what he wanted or how he even found out where we lived.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I had finished work and a few apartments down from where I lived when I noticed Emmy's brother Karl at the door. I knew Emmy wasn't expecting company, she would have told me if she knew he was coming.

"Karl." I acknowledged getting out my keys to unlock the door.

"Jonathan. I came to see my sister." Karl greeted me.

"Have you tried knocking?" I asked wondering why he was just standing there aimlessly.

"I did. She opened the door and then slammed it in my face." He answered. I was surprised Emmy would do that, it didn't seem like her.

"I don't think she wants to talk to you then. I suggest you go and come back later." I responded, putting the key in the lock, unlocking the door and opening it.

"I want to speak with her." Karl repeated.

"Clearly she doesn't want to speak to you. I suggest you leave her be." I suggested before closing the door on him. I turned to see Emmy staring at me.

"Why is your brother here?" I asked her as I walked away from the door.

"I don't know. He just showed up." She replied.

"Are you going to talk to him?"

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet." She confessed. By that time Karl had started beating on our door, shouting his sister's name.

"I suggest you decide before he breaks down the door."

"You think I should talk to him?"

"I think you should open the door and let him in or send him away before we don't have a front door anymore." I replied, walking passed her and into my office. A few minutes passed by before I heard the door open and heard Emmy and her brother talking. I couldn't hear what was being said, but as long as he didn't hurt the vessel that was carrying my child, I had homework that needed my attention.

**Emmy's P.O.V**

After Jonathan was in his office I looked back at the door. Deciding to see what my brother wanted I walked back over to it and opened it.

"What do you want?" I asked Karl before he had a chance to hit my door again.

"I just want to talk to you." He said. I thought a moment before I nodded and let him into the apartment.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked him.

"I understand why you didn't want to tell us anything about Jonathan or the baby. Dad's temper doesn't seem to be getting any better and you have every right to live your life the way you see fit. The boys and I got together and we decided to let you know that no matter what you choose, we're on your side. We have your back and we won't let dad hurt you anymore. We want you to be happy and if this makes you happy then we're with you 100%." Karl said diving right into why he was there. I was surprised he'd come all this way just to tell me that.

"Couldn't a phone call sufficed to tell me that?" I asked him.

"In order for that to work you'd have to actually answer your phone." Karl replied. He was right; I hadn't answered any calls and deleted all voice messages from my family since the day I left. After taking it in for a moment I gave Karl a hug. I was grateful to him for coming all this way to tell me that.

"Thank you." I smiled as he returned the hug.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" I asked as I remembered I needed to go stir the noodles. "We're having spaghetti."

"If its alright." He agreed. I nodded and walked back over to my kitchen. We talked while I finished making dinner. Once done I took some food to Jonathan and then came back and had a nice talk with my brother.

"There's something else I wanted to show you." Karl informed me reaching into his pocket pulling out a piece of paper. He handed to me as I read it.

It was an acceptance letter from Gotham University.

"I've been accepted into Gotham University's art program. I start in the fall." He said. I looked up at him surprised.

"You're moving here?" I asked him. He nodded.

"I started on the application when you left last August. I finished it when you left; after I found out you were pregnant and married. Its time dad stopped controlling all our lives. I figured if you could get away then so could I." Karl told me. I knew he loved to draw and paint but didn't realize he wanted to pursue and education with it.

"I'm so happy for you. I hope you'll enjoy Gotham University as much as I have." I hugged him.

"I move here in July; I already have a job and apartment set up. Things are working out."

"I'm happy for you. You'll be here just before the baby gets here." I told him, putting my hand to stomach. He smiled at me.

"When do you find out what you're having?"

"Three more weeks; I'm getting anxious. There's so much to do and plan before he or she gets here. There's so much to buy and get set up. We haven't even started on his/her room yet." I sighed.

"You're going to be a great mom Emmy. This baby is lucky to have you." Karl told me.

"I hope so. I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. I just hope I can give him/her a good life."I confessed.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I finished the bowl of spaghetti Emmy brought in for me and decided to take a quick break. I went to walk out of the office when I heard Emmy and Karl talking. I stopped. I couldn't help but wonder what I would hear.

"You're going to be a great mom Emmy. This baby is lucky to have you." I heard Karl say to Emmy.

"I hope so. I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. I just hope I can give him/her a good life." Emmy told her brother.

"You will." Karl said. I smiled a bit.

Emmy was going to be a good mother to our child. She was nurturing by nature so I didn't really worry about her. I wondered slightly how I would be with the baby. My childhood wasn't a pleasant one and I didn't want that for my child. I was going to do everything I could to make sure my child had the best opportunities and was supported. This was my chance at a real family and I wasn't going to waste it.

**Emmy's P.O.V**

"I had better get going. I head back to Iowa tonight and I need to get back to the airport." Karl informed me.

"You're leaving already?" I asked disappointed he had to leave already.

"I'll be back before you know it."

"Have a safe trip back. Give the boys my love."

"Will do. Emmy, don't worry about dad, just keep doing what you're doing. You deserve to be happy." Karl reinforced before leaving.

I closed the door behind him thinking about what had happened. I didn't expect it but was glad my brother was taking his life into his own hands. I hoped he would find joy in his adventure as I had in mine. I knew even if I never made peace with my father at least I could count on my brothers.

…

Three more weeks passed and finals were a week away. Jonathan took the next week and a half off work to study and get final projects ready. I was happy and sad the semester was almost over with. Jonathan would be graduating with his Masters next weekend and I honestly couldn't be more proud of him. In the short time we had been married he had shown a great devotion to work and education, he had earned it. I wanted to do something for him to congratulate him but I couldn't figure out just what.

It was the day before our 20 week ultrasound. Jonathan was studying in his office, no surprise there, when I decided to get started on our laundry before studying for finals. I walked by his office to go to the small utility closet when I felt a small jolt in my stomach. I gasped, dropped the basket and put my hand to my stomach. It was loud enough for Jonathan to turn from his desk and look over to me.

"Emmy? Are you alright?" he asked before he stood up and walked over to me. I leaned against the door frame. I felt the flutter again. A huge smile appeared on my face as I realized the baby was moving. I grabbed Jonathan's hand as he reached me and put it to my stomach just as another kick was felt.

"The baby, it's kicking." I told him happily as I felt another kick. I watched his reaction as we felt our child move around. After a few moments Jonathan's face broke into a smile. I returned the smile and looked back down at my tummy. We stayed like that for a few minutes until the baby had calmed down and we didn't feel anymore movement.

I looked back up at Jonathan hoping to get another glimpse of his gorgeous smile. My eyes met his. My heart jumped a bit, I was use to only seeing his usual smirk or half smiles. Without thinking I put my arm around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I was surprised by Emmy's actions but once the initial shock wore off, I rested my hands on her waist and returned the kiss. Normally we would share a couple pathetic kisses a day and then some more lustful ones when we made love. This kiss seemed different…almost sincere and genuine. I could feel her emotions in this kiss; she was happy. I don't think I had ever been around her when she was this happy.

Once the kiss ended she leaned her forehead against mine. I looked into her eyes trying to read her. After a couple seconds Emmy seemed to realize what we were doing and she drew back.

"Sorry, I should let you get back to studying." Her voice shook before she picked up the laundry basket and walked away. I watched her for a moment before I turned and went back to my studies.

**Emmy's P.O.V**

I quietly put a load of whites in the washer as I thought about what had just happened. That kiss was completely different than the others and I didn't know what to make of it.

_'It was just in the moment…nothing's changed.'_ I reassured myself. I spent the rest of the day trying to convince myself that nothing was changing.

….

Once I set Jonathan's dinner down on the desk, I walked away hoping to get out of there before anything else happened. He was a master at manipulation and I was a naïve little country girl. I didn't want my emotions to change if it was just another one of his mind games. Of course I was the one that initiated that kiss.

"What time is the ultrasound tomorrow?" Jonathan questioned just as I reached the door to his office.

"9:30, so first thing in the morning." I asked. "Are you still planning on coming?"

"There's no way I'm missing this one. I want to find out along with you." He turned back to look at me. I nodded and went to leave the room.

"Emmy." I heard Jonathan say. I heard him stand up and walk over to me. I turned back to him unsure of what to expect. When he reached me he put a hand behind my hand and one on my waist before he pulled me into another passionate kiss. I was breathless when the kiss ended and Jonathan went back to his studies. Maybe things were changing.

...

**Author's Note:** _Thanks to those following/favoring my story. Thanks to Niwer for the review. We find out the gender of their baby in the next chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next chapter. Thanks again to all my readers! If you have a moment please leave a review. Constructive criticism is always welcome! Thanks!-Lin_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

**Graduation**

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

Emmy and I sat in the waiting room of Gotham General Medical Center while we waited for Emmy's name to be called. I lightly held her hand as we waited. She seemed nervous around me now and I couldn't figure out why. I thought after yesterday things would only get smoother.

She nervously looked up at the clock. I knew she was anxious. About three this morning, I found her on the couch staring at one of her textbooks. She told me she was too excited to sleep but wasn't able to really concentrate. An hour later I picked up her sleeping form from the couch and put her on our bed.

My mind wandered a bit to our child. Within the next hour we would be finding out if we were expecting a son or daughter. My mind wandered to my childhood, I shuttered a bit. I was determined that my son or daughter would not grow up like that. I was going to make sure my child had the care they needed and deserved.

"Emily Crane." A lady said coming into the waiting room. Emmy looked over at me before standing up. I put my hand on Emmy's back as we followed the lady into the ultrasound room.

The ultrasound tech squirted some goo onto Emmy's abdomen and we looked up to the screen in front of us. The tech showed us the arms, head, feet and heart of our baby. I was grateful to be here and see my child. Because of school and work I hadn't been as involved with Emmy's prenatal appointments as I had wanted to be.

"Did you want to know the baby's gender?" the woman asked.

"Yes." Emmy answered quickly. I looked from my wife back up to the screen. The words _"I'm a Boy_!" appeared above our child's profile. I felt my heart jump ever so slightly as I realized I was going to have a son.

**Emmy's P.O.V**

My heart leaped as the words "_I'm a Boy!" _appeared on the screen above me. I could feel a smile spread across my face. I looked over to Jonathan while his eyes remained on the screen. I smiled and took his hand. He looked back at me.

"You were right." I told him. He smirked at me a bit before he looked back up at the screen.

"Everything looks great. He should be a fine healthy baby." The tech informed us as our appointment came to an end. I nodded and thanked her. I was thrilled to be having a son. Now it was time to be getting ready for his arrival, a mere 20 weeks away give or take a couple.

"I can't believe we're half way through the pregnancy." I started the conversation as we left the hospital. "It doesn't' seem like it was that long ago when we found out about the pregnancy."

"The time has gone fast." Jonathan acknowledged, his hand reached for mine. I wasn't sure what to make of him at this point. I understood where our relationship, or lack thereof, stood before yesterday. I wasn't sure if he was trying a new experiment or if he was being genuine. Damn I wish I could read him better, he seemed to always know what I was thinking.

I lifted my hand to his as our fingers laced together and we continued our walk home.

"After graduation I was thinking we could do a bit of shopping for baby items. We don't have a lot of money to throw around but it does seem time to get started. I would like to have the nursery finished before I start medical school." Jonathan informed me.

"That would be a good idea. I hear that the third trimester gets harder and I'd like to get as much done while I still feel up for it." I told him. "Plus it should be fun." Jonathan smirked at my comment.

….

"Jonathan Crane." I heard the announcer say over the microphone at Jonathan's graduation. I cheered my loudest as Jonathan shook the President of Gotham University's hand and walked across the stage. I was so happy for him. He seemed pleased to be at this point in his education and I was very proud of him.

Once the graduation ceremony was finished, I walked through a sea of people trying to find my husband. There were so many people there I worried I may not be able to find Jonathan. I got out my cell phone to try to text him a location to meet when I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I turned to see Jonathan only a few feet away from me.

I smiled and gave him a big hug. He lightly returned the hug. I still didn't know what was happening between us. I knew my feeling for him were starting to change but I wish I could read Jonathan's mind and know what he was thought about our relationship now. I knew I was falling in love with him but what did he feel for me? The affection he was starting to show me almost seemed too good to be true, though I have to admit the affection was nice.

"So are you glad to be done at Gotham University?" I asked Jonathan as we made our way out of the crowd.

"It's just another step closer to my goal." Jonathan said putting an arm around my waist as we walked out of the building. We were walking through campus, talking happily when a woman about my parents' age with blue eyes and dark brown hair approached us.

"Jonathan." The woman greeted. I looked at her confused and looked up at Jonathan whose bright eyes suddenly clouded.

"What are you doing here?" he calmly asked.

"That's no way to greet your mother." The woman replied. I couldn't believe I was meeting Jonathan's mother. Her face was sharp, pale and she had a very unkind look about her. Just from looking at her I could see why Jonathan had a hard time showing affection. She looked so harsh.

"Jonathan?" I asked. He had told me he didn't talk to his family but he never told me why.

"Go join the festivities. I'll join you in a minute." Jonathan dictated before he looked back to his mother.

"Are you alright?" I asked him. He nodded.

"Go." He repeated. I looked between the two and left, wondering what was going on.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I watched as Emmy walked away. I made sure she was safe in the crowd of people before turning back to my mother.

"What do you want?" I asked the woman, now that I knew Emmy was safe.

"I was just in town and thought I'd come say 'hi' nothing less nothing more. She's a pretty girl, where'd you find her?" my mother asked walking up to me.

"She is none of your concern." I replied not taking my eyes off of her. I loathed this woman. What could she possibly want now.

"She means that much to you, does she? I saw the ring on her finger; are you marrying her?"

"That doesn't concern you either."

"You better be careful son, sure would hate for anything to happen to her." My mother sneered at me. I felt myself lose control for a second as I grabbed her wrist sharply causing her pain.

"You go anywhere near my girl…and I'll kill you." I harshly whispered to her before pushing her and walking away. My mind wondered as I walked back over to the group of people I had sent Emmy to join. I didn't know what my mother was doing here but I wasn't going to let her toxic presence anywhere near Emmy or my son.

I walked through the crowd of people as I thought about what I could do to protect Emmy when I wasn't home or when she went grocery shopping without me. Within a few minutes I found Emmy chatting with Dr. Hughes, the man who had put us together.

"Ah Jonathan, Emmy here was telling me about your new addition to the family. Such a great couple you two are. You're graduating with your Masters, a new wife, a baby boy and soon medical school. You have a lot of great things going for you." Dr. Hughes said, before he shook my hand.

"Thank you, Dr. Hughes." I responded as I returned the handshake.

"Just be careful your son doesn't turn out like Jo over there," Dr. Hughes said pointing to a fellow graduate who was definitely in touch with his emotions. Emotions weren't a bad thing to be in touch with but the man cried when he broke his pencil during a final.

"Jo was raised by two Psychology majors." Dr. Hughes explained his comment. I nodded, though I wasn't too worried. I had met Jo's parents once and they were both into talking about their feelings. I wasn't like that at all so I knew my son wouldn't be raised like that.

"I had better go congratulate the others. Have a great summer you two, and congratulations again!" Dr. Hughes said walking away from us.

"Please tell me our son isn't going to turn out like him." Emmy said referring over to Jo were was now crying on his mother's shoulder.

"I highly doubt he will." I reassured her.

"Are you alright?" Emmy asked me talking about our little run in with my mother. I tried my best to smile for her not wanting to alarm her. Then again with how oblivious Emmy seemed to be about the dangers in Gotham scaring the hell out of her may be the best way to keep her safe.

"I'm fine. Let's go." I answered her, putting my hand on her back trying to lead her away from the crowd. I wanted to get out of there before my mother had a chance to make a scene and I would be forced to introduce Emmy to her. I didn't want my mother to know I was dating much less married and having a child.

"What happened?" Emmy asked me once we were away from the crowd. I was quiet. I didn't want to get into this with her but I wanted her safe.

"If my mother ever approaches you or shows up at our apartment, I want you to call me or the police." I told her.

"Why?" she asked me concerned about what was happening.

"Just trust me. This isn't something you need to burden yourself with." I told her hoping she would just drop the subject. We were quiet for a moment.

"I know I haven't told you all of my secrets and you have every right to yours but if there's anything I can do, I do want to help." Emmy told me. I nodded, glad that she wasn't going to pry. It wasn't a matter she belonged in.

**Emmy's P.O.V**

Jonathan wasn't the same since we ran into his mother. He seemed deep in thought though he tried to keep up a somewhat cheerful front.

I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to make him like this. I didn't know anything about his childhood, his parents, what motivated him to pursue an education in Psychology and eventually medical school. I hardly knew anything about him but yet I felt like I knew him well.

Once home I started on dinner, I felt bad I hadn't come up with a graduation gift for him so I decided to make a huge feast to celebrate his accomplishments. I made a ham with a side of sour cream potatoes, fresh corn and a yummy cinnamon apple pie. I had prepared the sour cream potatoes and pie the day before. So all I had to do was heat that up.

Jonathan had gone into his office. I heard him moving something around when he came out with something in his hand.

"I want you to carry this with you." He informed me before he set the item on the counter.

"What is it?" I asked him, not seeing anything like it before.

"It's a taser. I want you to take this with you when you leave the apartment. If my mother approaches you, use it." He told me. I was surprised by his actions. Why in the world would he want me to taser her?

"My dad gave me a can of pepper spray to carry around when I moved here. Would you like me to carry that around too?" I questioned half joking.

"That would be wise." He responded in a serious tone. I nodded and went back to getting things ready for dinner.

"What do you say to some shopping tomorrow? We need to look at cribs, car seats, strollers and some of the other basic baby needs." Jonathan asked. It was clear he wanted to the change the subject.

"Why do we need a car seat? We don't have a car?" I asked him.

"I have a car, I just don't use it very often. The hospital staff won't let us leave the hospital without a properly installed car seat."

"That's true." I acknowledged while I pulled the ham out of the oven.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I watched Emmy as she put the ham she had prepared next to the rest of the food she had cooked for my graduation dinner. I didn't understand her; she wasted money that should have been used towards the baby.

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble." I told her as she looked over our feast. "It's just a graduation. It means very little."

"Just a graduation? This is so much more; Jonathan all your hard work is paying off. You are a Master of Psychology you have accomplished so much. I wish you were as proud of yourself as I am of you. I….I am very honored to be your wife." Emmy explained.

I could tell she was choosing her words carefully. She was the first person who had shown any interest in any of my achievements and seemed to find joy in my accomplishments. She respected me. That wasn't something I had grown up with.

"Shall we eat?" Emmy asked me. I nodded as we put the food on our plates and ate on the couch. I watched Emmy as we talked and ate our food. She seemed to beam as we talked; I couldn't tell if it was that whole "pregnancy glow" thing or something more.

"I have something else for you." Emmy informed me, before she set the plate down on the coffee table she had brought into the marriage.

"I told you not to spend any money on me." I told her. I hoped it wasn't some dumb material thing I didn't need.

"I didn't." Emmy said putting my plate on top of hers. Within a few seconds Emmy had me lying on my back as she crawled on top of me. Her lips crashed down on top of mine as her hands undid the buttons on my shirt. This was a present I didn't mind receiving.

…

I held Emmy in my arms after we finished making love. Our lips met in several small kisses as my hand roamed her body.

"I thought about buying some sexy lingerie but I figured you wouldn't want to spend the money. Besides now that I'm starting to show, I didn't think I'd look that sexy in it." She admitted.

"You're beautiful." I whispered to her. My hand fell to her small baby bump before I pulled her into another kiss.

….

**Author's Note**: _Hi everyone! Thank to those who are following and favoring my story. If you have a moment please leave a review. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks!-Lin_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Summer**

**Emmy's P.O.V**

"What do you think about this one?" I asked Jonathan as I came up to a beautifully polished wooden crib. Shopping for baby things was both fun and frustrating. I wanted to be as frugal as possible but Jonathan hadn't given me an exact budget to stay within. I hated how he controlled the finances; then again he was the one that earned the money. Ugh…I need a job.

Jonathan came over to the crib, he looked it over intensely. He seemed to know exactly what he wanted for our son and was being very picky. I wish he would at least tell me the specifics of what he wanted.

"It's a possibility." He nodded after he finished his inspection. Jonathan walked over to another crib as I made my way over to the baby clothes. He clearly didn't need my help in the crib area.

I smiled as I looked at the cute little boy outfits in front of me. I picked up a short sleeved dark blue outfit with a cute little bear on it. I was looking through some more outfits when Jonathan approached me.

"I've chosen a crib that will do nicely, we have a car seat picked out and it came with the stroller so these items are checked off the list." Jonathan informed as he put a hand on my back.

"Sounds great." I answered.

"Having fun?" he asked and nodded to the baby clothes I had in my hand.

"They have some cute things. Are you having fun?"

"I'm glad to be getting these things done. We'll go ahead and put a down payment on the crib and payoff the car seat-stroller set paid off today. It's a bit close to the budget but we should be fine for now. We can look at some more things after my next paycheck." Jonathan said as he did the equations in his head. I wish I was at good at math as he was.

"I do have some money set away Jonathan…you don't have to pay for everything." I told him. I hoped he would let me know more about our financial situation.

"If there are things you would like to buy with your money go ahead." He bluntly said. I hated that he was keeping me out of something as important as finance but we had decided our marriage was a partnership. I guess that was an area he wanted to be in charge of.

"Why don't you go ahead and pick out a couple of outfits? He will need clothes and we have little bit of money to spare." Jonathan suggested before he walked to customer service about getting the crib ordered.

Now that we were out of school, Jonathan started working full time at the pharmacy while I filled out job applications. So far I had no luck since no one wanted to a hire a woman who was this far into a pregnancy. I hated being cooped up in the apartment all day. It drove me nuts! I didn't want to have to depend on Jonathan to meet my needs. I wanted to be somewhat useful in the marriage.

**{May}**

Where it was summer it was time to get started on a garden. We only had a little balcony that linked off our small dining room but I knew with the right tools I could grow some veggies and have a small garden. With the help of a hammer, nails and some wooden boards I was able to make little cubical to grow plants in. I decided to grow some tomatoes, peas, zucchini, green peppers and cabbage. I would have loved to have grown more but we didn't have the room.

"What are you doing?" Jonathan asked as he came out onto the balcony. He had just gotten home from work was probably ready for dinner.

"I just finished planting our garden." I replied, standing up and walking over to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

"I thought you hated farming." Jonathan stated.

"No. I love farming and gardening, I just don't want to spend my whole life doing it. Besides it gives me something to do while you're gone."

"No luck with job interviews?"

"I get job interviews but once they find out I'm pregnant they just dismiss me."

"I'm sure you'll find something soon." Jonathan reassured.

**{June}**

Things in the nursery were coming together nicely. The light blue and lime green room was almost complete. Jonathan and I had set up the crib and dresser. I had washed all of the baby clothes we had bought. Jonathan surprised me with a light green glider and ottoman set. We were able to get a small baby swing and Dr. Hughes had sent us a bassinet to use the first few months of our son's life. The only thing missing was our baby.

Jonathan was in his office reading a textbook he would be using during medical school, while I sat on our couch writing down some baby name ideas. It didn't seem to matter what names I came up with. Jonathan hated all of them. I had a few names written down when Jonathan came into the room.

"What are you working on?" he asked sitting next to me.

"Just more baby names." I told him as I glanced his way.

"Let's see what you've come up with this time?" Jonathan said before he took the notebook out of my hands.

"Hey I wasn't finished." I protested and reached for the notebook. He read through the list, and crossed off everything he didn't like. He paused for a moment.

"This one." He stated as he circled the name and handed the paper back to me. I looked at the name he had circled surprised at his choice.

"Really?" I asked him.

"If you didn't like it you shouldn't have written it down."

"No, I like it…I just didn't think you would. It's so simple."

**{End of July}**

"What are your plans today?" Jonathan asked me while he got ready for work.

"Karl flies in today. I'm going to meet him at the airport." I answered as I prepared his lunch for him to take to work.

"Do you still have the taser I gave you?"

"I'm not tasing my brother."

"I didn't say tase your brother, I just wanted to make sure you had it with you. I don't like you going into that part of the city alone."

"I'll be fine. I'll even take the can of pepper spray if it'll help you feel better."

"You should carry both of them around with you anyway." Jonathan lectured, unimpressed. I finished his lunch and handed it to him.

"I'll be fine. Stop worrying." I told him. He put down his lunch and put a hand on each hip.

"I can't, especially where you don't take this seriously." He whispered to me his face only an inch away from mine.

"I've been here for almost a year now, I haven't had any problems." I told him.

"This isn't Iowa, Emmy. Just because something hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't."

"You better get going; neither of us wants you to be late to work." I told him changing the subject. Jonathan grabbed his lunch, gave me a quick kiss and told me to take the taser and pepper spray with me.

….

Once Karl was off the plane and we got his luggage we made our way back to the apartment Jonathan and I shared. Karl would start moving into his apartment the next day so he was sleeping on our couch that night.

Karl and I were happily chatting away, catching up on the last few months that we didn't notice the man following closely behind us.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I had finished filling a prescription when I heard my cell phone rang. I looked at the phone but it wasn't a number I recognized. I looked up at the clock realizing my lunch break was a couple minutes away. I signed out while I answered the phone.

"Jonathan Crane." I answered.

"Mr. Crane, this is Officer Jim Gordon with GCPD, I'm calling about your wife, Emily." A man's voice replied.

"Is she alright?" I asked. I hated that Emmy went to pick her brother up but Emmy was strong headed enough that she would have done it regardless of what I said.

"She and a Mr. Dawson were attacked. She is being transported to Gotham General Medical center. She asked me to call you."

"I'll be right there." I told him, hanging up the phone. I quickly told my boss of the situation and left for Gotham General.

"I'm looking for Emily Crane." I told the lady at the nurse's desk once I got to the hospital.

"Mrs. Crane is in room 108…just down the hall." The nurse answered before she pointed me in the right direction. I thanked her and quickly walked down the hall until I came to Emmy's room. A police officer, a doctor; a couple of nurses and Emmy's brother were in the room.

"Jonathan." Emmy's brother, Karl said to me as I came into the room.

"How is she?" I asked Karl.

"She's a bit shaken but the doctor said she would be alright. They have her hooked up to some fetal monitors to make sure the baby is ok. The bastard that attacked us held a knife up to her throat; she has a cut from it but nothing fatal. She is awake; you can talk to her if you want." Karl informed me. I was glad to know Emmy was alright. I walked through the small crowd of people huddled by Emmy's bed and her eyes met mine.

"Jonathan." Emmy smiled, her hand reached out for mine. I walked up to her and took her hand.

"What happened?" I asked while inspecting the large bandage on her neck. She went to say something, but was cut off by the officer.

"I think we have everything we need from you Mrs. Crane. We'll be in touch as things develop. Mr. Dawson, I have some questions for you." The officer said before he walked out of the door with Emmy's brother.

"We're going to keep you overnight just to keep an eye on the baby and make sure everything is alright that way. Mr. Crane," the doctor began, "it's a good thing you gave her that taser. If you hadn't she would have been killed."

After a few more minutes the doctor and nurses left, leaving Emmy and I alone.

"What happened?" I asked her again. I wanted to know who did this to my obviously pregnant wife.

"Karl and I were making our way back to our apartment, when a man came up behind us. He put the knife to my neck, he demanded wallets and anything of value we had on us. I reached into my pocket to grab my wallet, felt the taser, slowly pulled it out, prayed it was facing him and not me and tased the hell out of the bastard. It surprised him but he still managed to cut my neck before he crawled away. The doctor says I'll be alright though." Emmy explained.

"I'm glad you actually listened to me and carried the taser." I told her, there were times I was positive she didn't listen to me.

"Me too….I hate it when you're right." She smirked.

"You're married to me….get used to it." I smirked back at her.

"How's the baby?" I asked, devoting my attention to my son.

"He's moving." Emmy answered as she placed my hand on her bump just in time to feel a good strong kick.

**{August}**

Emmy recovered well from her injuries. The man who had attempted to mug her and Karl was found and convicted.

"I am going to take classes; I'm so close to my degree, I can't give up now." Emmy argued, trying to convince me that her taking classes this fall was a good idea.

"I'm not saying give up on your degree; I'm saying this may not be the best time to pursue it. Think about this logically, you're due at the end of the month, two weeks after school starts. You will be emotionally and physically drained. If you go this semester it could jeopardize your grades, which means jeopardizing your GPA and scholarship. Take this semester off and go back in the spring, if you still want to." I calmly.

"Jonathan, I have had friends say they're taking a semester off because they had babies. None of them have made it back to school. I can't let that be me."

"Emmy, I don't know these friends you're talking about, but I do know you. You are a beautiful, strong willed, educated woman. I know you will make it back to school and I promise I will help you anyway I can."

"I have fought so hard for this…I…" Emmy started.

"I know. Don't think of it as giving up…think of it as taking a little time off. You'll be back in classes before you know it." I reassured her. She thought a moment.

"Why are you always right?" She questioned.

**{September}**

I was two weeks into Medical School and I was even busier than I had been when I was working on my Masters. Emmy was a few days over her due date. She acted fine but I could tell she was ready to meet our little one.

I was in my office when I heard Emmy in the kitchen. She slept quite a bit now, that was normal for this part of pregnancy, but she was up about every two hours. I looked over at the clock and realized I had pulled another all-nighter. It was 7:15 and I needed to get things ready so I could be at my 8 am class.

Emmy was getting a glass of water when I walked into the kitchen to get some coffee started and to make sure Emmy was alright.

"Another all-nighter?" Emmy asked before she took a sip of water.

"Just part of the territory." I answered. I knew medical school wouldn't be easy but I was up for the challenge.

Emmy was put her cup in the sink when she grabbed her stomach and started to breathe heavily. Her face looked pained as she concentrated on the contraction I was sure she was having. I broke the space between us and put a hand on her shoulder. She leaned her forehead on my shoulder.

"Are you alright? Is a contraction?" I asked to be sure. I couldn't help but wonder if it was finally 'baby time'. After a couple seconds Emmy stood straight again and nodded.

"I'm fine. It was just one of those rude fake contractions." She replied. It wasn't hard to tell she was miserable. She had, had a doctor's appointment the day before and he told her she had barely dilated to a one. Emmy hadn't been very happy with that news where she had been contracting on and off the past couple of weeks.

"Do I need to stay home today?" I questioned. I didn't want to leave her alone only to go into labor.

"The last contraction was about four hours ago, Jonathan. It's been doing this for the last two weeks. I don't think I'm going into labor yet. You need to go to your classes. The less school you miss the better." She was right about that. However, I couldn't get the image of her giving birth at home alone out of my head.

"I think I'll stay home." I insisted.

"Jonathan, you and I both know labor can take a long time, even after it starts. Go to your classes, I promise I'll text you if I need you." Emmy tried to reassure me. I still wasn't convinced. There was just something that made me feel uneasy about the situation.

"What if I have Karl come over while you're gone? I guess most of his Professors went to Europe for an Art program thing." She suggested. "Please, there's no reason for you to miss school until the baby is actually coming. I'd really hate for you to miss school for no reason."

Now I had the image of Karl catching the baby in my head. However, I knew the hospital wouldn't admit Emmy until she was contracting every 2-4 minutes and she didn't seem to think she'd be at that point any time soon.

"Alright, I'll go if your brother can come over." I replied. I didn't like it but I did need to go to class.

After talking with Karl, Emmy told me he would be there within the next half hour. I looked at the clock realized I really needed to leave if I was going to make it to class on time.

"I need to get going. Call me if anything changes." I instructed as I grabbed my briefcase.

"I will, I promise." Emmy agreed before she gave me a kiss. "Have a great day! Learn lots." I nodded to her and gave her another kiss and left.

…

My last class of the day had just finished when my cell phone went off. I looked at the number and quickly answered it when I saw it was Emmy.

"Emmy?" I asked.

"Hey Jonathan, its Karl….I think Emmy's in labor."

**Author's Note:** _Hello everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update! Life's been busy with school. Thanks to everyone who has followed/favored my story. A special thanks to ParadoxMagic for reviewing! _

_I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next chapter. It should be a fun and exciting one! Please leave a review if you have a moment. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks again!-Lin_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Birth**

**Emmy's P.O.V**

I felt another contraction as Jonathan closed the door behind him. The darn things had been so inconsistent the last two weeks; I had no idea when I'd be going into labor. There was a side of me that really didn't want Jonathan to go just in case. However, I knew medical school was very rigorous and I wanted Jonathan to succeed and excel with his schooling.

Karl knocked on the door about 15 minutes after Jonathan left.

"Hey sis, so you think today is the day?" Karl asked me as I let him into the apartment.

"I have no idea. Jonathan didn't want to leave me home alone, so I called you." I told him.

"Makes sense, is there anything I can do that would be helpful?" he asked me.

"Nope, I think the main thing is just to wait till labor starts or Jonathan gets home."

"Well, that doesn't sound like fun…..how about a game of Checkers?"

"Sure why not." I responded. We spent most of the morning playing Checkers. I could feel the contractions starting to become steady but they still were about 10 minutes apart and the hospital didn't want me to get there until they were about 3 minutes apart so I just ignored the contractions as much as I could.

It was around noon when I sent Karl out to my little balcony garden to get some green peppers when I felt a pretty strong contraction. I leaned against the kitchen counter trying to steady myself. It lasted about a minute but it didn't matter unless the next one was only a few minutes away and the one after that and the one after that.

Karl brought in some green peppers and started to make some fajitas when I felt another contraction. I tried my best hide it, not wanting to get him worked up over nothing. Five more minutes and I felt another contraction. Then three minutes passed and another contraction hit, then another and another.

An hour passed with the contractions being very consistent. I looked up at the clock and realized Jonathan would be getting out of class in about 15 minutes.

"I'm going to quickly get some last minute things packed for the hospital." I informed my brother before I walked over to mine and Jonathan's bedroom.

"You think it's time?" Karl questioned as he followed me into the bedroom.

"The contractions have been coming…."I paused as I felt another contraction hit.

"They've been coming every three minutes for the past hour, I think once Jonathan come home it'll be time to head." I told my brother after the contraction was finished. I picked up my mostly packed suitcase and put it on the bed when I felt gush of fluid splashed between my legs.

"What was that?" my brother questioned. He gave me a questioned look, unsure of what he should do.

"My water just broke." I smiled, glad labor really had started.

"What do you want me to do?" Karl asked. I handed him my cell phone.

"Call Jonathan. We…." I started but was stopped by another contraction.

"Hey Jonathan…Its Karl…I think Emmy's in labor." I heard my brother say into the phone.

"Her water broke and I have no idea what to do. Should I just pack her up in the car? She's panicking. She's in a lot of pain….." Karl exaggerated. By that time I was done with the contraction and took the phone away from my brother.

"Hey, it's me. Don't listen to my brother; he's the one panicking not me. I'm fine but I do think we'll need to head to the hospital once you get here. They've been coming every three minutes." I told my husband over the phone.

"I'll be there shortly. Have everything packed and ready to go." Jonathan instructed.

"Will do; see you in a few minutes." I told him. After saying "bye" I hung up the phone and went back to getting last minute things packed up. I felt another really intense wave hit with some added pressure. I realized labor had progressed faster than I thought it would.

"Karl, will you move the suitcase?" I asked my brother as another contraction hit. Now they were only a minute or two apart.

"What are you talking about? We need to finish getting things ready so we can leave for the hospital?" Karl said closing and lifting the suit case off of the bed as I quickly got on the bed right before another contraction hit. The contractions were only a minute apart and lasting about a minute and half.

"I don't think he's going to wait until we get to the hospital…. I feel it." I said looking up at my brother after another contraction finished.

"Damn, what should I do? I can boil water. I can get towels. What do you need? Please don't make me catch the baby. Seeing my sister give birth really isn't on my bucket list." Karl continued to panic.

"Karl calm down. Just bring in a bowl of warm water, there are some clean towels in the bathroom, bring a couple of those. There are some blankets in the nursery bring a couple of those in." I instructed. I grabbed the sheets under me digging my nail into them as hard as I could and held in a scream. Karl quickly left the room and gathered all the items I had asked him to get.

I heard the front door open and close; I heard my brother and my husband talking for a moment before Jonathan came into the bedroom to see me lying on our bed.

"Are you sure you can't make it to the hospital?" Jonathan asked quickly walking over to me.

"There's no way, he's coming soon. I can feel it." I told Jonathan as I felt another wave hit me. I made a muffled high pitch sound as I dug my nails into the sheets under me again.

"You're in labor, scream if you have to." Jonathan instructed. I shook my head. I didn't need to scream. This was going to be over soon. Once that contraction ended I held Jonathan's hand.

"Please don't leave me." I whispered.

"I'm not." Jonathan responded as our eyes met. We quietly knew that Jonathan was going to have to deliver the baby himself. Jonathan let go of my hand and quickly got things ready, for when the baby did come.

"Karl, call 911. We need the paramedics here." Jonathan calmly told my brother.

"You're not really going to deliver the baby here, are you?" Karl asked Jonathan.

"Do you want to catch it?" Jonathan dared.

"Nu-uh, you're the one that's been to medical school. Not me, man." Karl shook his head.

"Two weeks of medical school doesn't make me certified to deliver babies." Jonathan responded.

"Jonathan." I cried out as I felt another contraction starting. He looked back at me and held my hand as Karl quickly ran out of the room with the cell phone in his hand.

"Just breathe, Emmy. You're doing great." Jonathan softly answered; I nodded doing my best to breathe through the contraction. I leaned my forehead against his hoping to gain some kind of strength for this.

"You're doing great, Emmy." Jonathan repeated and encouraged as the contraction started to die down.

I was so glad he was there. He obviously didn't want to be the one to catch the baby but I was grateful he was willing to do it. He was definitely the most qualified out of anyone there.

"I can do this, I can do this." I repeated several times after the contraction finished.

"I know you can." Jonathan gently kissed my hand.

"I love you." I whispered as I tried to catch my breath. "I love you." My words seem to catch him by surprise. He thought a moment and went to say something but another intense contraction was starting.

"I need to push." I told him. My body was involuntarily started to push.

"Follow your instinct; push when you feel it's right." Jonathan told me getting ready to catch the baby. I nodded and pushed. We did another five pushes like that.

"He's almost here," Jonathan informed me. I gave one final push and our son was born. I watched as Jonathan quickly moved with some of the tools I'm sure he had got from school.

Within a few seconds our son, Alexander, started to cry. After he wrapped the baby in a warm blanket, Jonathan stared at our son for a few moments. He seemed to be in awe of the new little life before him.

"He's beautiful…just like you." Jonathan stated. He looked up from the baby to me. I smiled at him as he moved over to me and gently handed me our son. I looked down at the little bundle in my arms.

Baby Alex was such a handsome little guy. He had Jonathan's beautiful blue eyes and dark brown hair.

"He's perfect! Can you believe we're parents now?" I asked him completely awe-struck at the sweet little boy. Jonathan was now sitting next to me on the bed; his arm was around me as we both were looking down at our son.

"It seems surreal." He said giving me a soft. I smiled at him and gave him a kiss. I couldn't believe we were a real family now.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

"Where is she?" I asked Karl as I closed the door behind me.

"She's in the bedroom." Karl replied with some towels in his hands.

"Why is she in there; we need to get going?" I asked. I was hoping to move quickly.

"She's not going to make it to the hospital."

"What do you mean?'

"She thinks she can't make it to the hospital in time to have the baby." Karl answered nodding towards the bedroom. I quickly walked over to where my wife was. If the baby really wasn't going to wait, I needed to act and fast.

"Call 911. Get the paramedics here." I told Karl before I quickly went into my office got out some of the supplies I had bought for school and walked back over to the bedroom.

"Are you sure you can't make it to the hospital?" I asked as I walked into our bedroom.

"There's no way, he's coming soon I can feel it." She answered. I could tell she was having a contraction by the high pitched muffled sound she was trying to keep in.

"You're in labor, scream if you have to." I tried to calmly tell her. She shook her head, I didn't know what she was thinking but after a few more seconds the contraction seemed to be finished.

"Please don't leave me." She whispered as she took my hand.

"I won't." I said as her eyes met mine. I was going to have to deliver my son, myself. Karl came in with some towels, a bowl of warm water, and some blankets. I got things ready to the best of my knowledge. I was only a couple of weeks into my basic obstetric class; I didn't have the experience I needed to do this.

"Karl, call 911, get the paramedics here." I repeated calmly. The last thing I wanted to do was cause Emmy any more stress. Any stress she felt could affect the baby and could cause problems with the birth process.

"You're not really going to deliver the baby here, are you?" Karl whined.

"Do you want to catch him?" I dared him. Damn, Emmy's brother was annoying.

"Nu-uh, you're the one that's been to medical school. Not me, man." Karl shook his head.

"Two week of medical school doesn't certify me to deliver babies." I commented.

"Jonathan." I heard Emmy say. She sounded distressed. I quickly turned back to her as another contraction seemed to be starting. Karl left the room quickly with his cell phone.

"Just breathe, Emmy. You're doing great." I tried to calmly encourage her. She pressed her forehead against mine.

"You're doing great." I repeated. She nodded.

"I can do this…I can do this…"she told herself a few times.

"I know you can." I nodded. A few seconds of silence went by as Emmy tried to catch her breath.

"I love you…I love you." She breathlessly said. I was surprised by her words. Did she mean what she said? Or was she simply in the moment?

Still there was something about her in that moment. Sweat glistened her face but the look in her eyes; I could almost see her feelings for me. It was in that raw moment where my own feelings became more apparent.

"I need to push." Emmy informed me. I nodded and got ready to catch my son.

"Follow your instinct, push when you feel it's right." I told her.

After about six pushes our son, Alexander, was born. I quickly tried to clean out his air way and within a few minutes he was crying.

I quickly wrapped him in a warm blanket, hoping he would be warm enough until the paramedics arrived. I stared at him somewhat in awe. I was holding _my_ son.

"He's beautiful," I told Emmy, looking up at her, "just like you." She smiled at me and I moved up by her and handed her our son. She watched him for a moment, she seemed like she was taking all his little features in.

"He's perfect." She finally said, "Can you believe we're parents?"

"It seems surreal." I smiled to her. She returned the smile and gave me a soft kiss. I looked between Emmy and Alex and realized that this was my family and I loved both of them.

"Here, you hold him for a minute." Emmy said and she handed Alex back to me.

"Are you alright?" I asked her. She looked very pale.

"I'm fine, just tired." She shrugged with a soft smile. I smiled at her and looked down at our baby. A few second later I looked back to Emmy expecting to see her radiant smile only to find that she was losing consciousness

"Emmy?" I asked as her eyes closed.

"Emmy!" I repeated while lightly shaking her.

"Karl!" I called out and walked over to the door when Karl appeared.

"Take the baby. I need to help Emmy." I said, quickly handing my son to Karl.

"What's going on?" he asked me. I went back into the bedroom only to realize how much blood Emmy was losing.

"Damn, not this again." I said, walking over to her. "Where are those damn paramedics? They should have been here by now."

"They sure are taking their time aren't they?" I heard the oaf say.

I checked Emmy's vitals. Her breathing was slowing and her pulse was very weak. She was hemorrhaging badly and would quickly bleed out if she didn't get the help she needed.

…..

**Author's Note: **_Hello everyone. Sorry for such a long delay. I was preparing for finals and now school is officially over for the semester so I should be able to update more routinely. _

_Thanks to __**ZabuzasGurl **__and __**rubymaya92**__ for reviewing. __**Rubymaya92**__, I promise I'm not giving up on the story. I just haven't had time to update until now. _

_I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will try to get the next chapter out within the week. Please leave a review if you have a moment. Constructive criticism is always welcome! Thanks!—Lin_

_Oh and if you're following my other Dr. Crane story, the next chapter should be out within the next day or two. _


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Secrets**

**Emmy's P.O.V**

I heard a light beep as my eyes fluttered open. It took a minute for my eyes to focus but it didn't take long for me to realize I was in a hospital room. I looked down to my arm to see a couple of IVs in each arm. _'They must be giving me another blood transfusion,_' I thought looking at the red liquid behind the clear tube going into my arm.

I looked around the room for a moment to see Jonathan asleep in a chair next to me. Memories of giving birth at home with Jonathan ran through my mind.

"Jonathan?" I said softly putting my hand on top of his. His eyes opened.

"Emmy, you're awake." He yawned, rubbing his eyes a bit before taking my hand again.

"How are you feeling?" he questioned.

"I'm fine. How long have I been out?" I asked him, hoping to find out what happened before I blacked out.

"Only a few hours, according to Dr. Elmer you tore during childbirth causing you to lose a lot of blood. This is the third bag of blood they've had you on, trying to replenish your body's blood supply."

"Where's Alex? Is he alright?

"He's fine. The nurses wanted to keep him in the nursery until you woke up. The doctor looked him over and said he was very healthy baby." Jonathan told me giving me a small tired smile.

"Are you ok?" I inquired.

"I'm fine, just a little tired after the day's events."

"I bet it's not every day you deliver a baby."

"Hopefully it's the last time."

"You mean you don't want to do it again?" I tried to joke a bit.

"If the baby hadn't been our son and it hadn't been you in labor, I would have just walked on by." Jonathan lamented. I was about to say something when Dr. Elmer came in.

"Ah, Mrs. Crane, it's good to see you awake." Dr. Elmer observed, flipping through a chart. "You gave us quite a scare for a while."

"Sorry. I really wasn't trying to." I stated. Dr. Elmer took my pulse for a minute before turning to Jonathan.

"Do you want to check it?" he offered. Jonathan stood up and checked my pulse.

"It seems fast." Jonathan remarked.

"It is a bit fast. I think you are out of the danger zone but I want to keep you here a few days as a precaution." Dr. Elmer informed us.

"That should be fine." I responded.

"You sure you don't want to deliver any more babies? You did a great job delivering your son." Dr. Elmer teased Jonathan a bit.

"I'm happy in my field of interest." Jonathan answered a bit annoyed.

"I'll have the nurse bring your son in. I'm sure you're both anxious to see him." Dr. Elmer stated while leaving the room.

A few minutes later a nurse rolled in a bassinet type bed with a swaddled baby inside. I smiled as the nurse handed me my sleeping baby boy. He really did look like a miniature version of Jonathan. Jonathan looked tired as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Why don't you go home and get some sleep? You still have class tomorrow and I know you're exhausted." I suggested.

"I'm ok; I think the couch over there turns into a bed." Jonathan remarked.

"Are you sure? You really don't have to stay here if you don't want to. I'm sure we'll both be fine."

"I'm staying with my family."

…..

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

A few days passed, Emmy and Alex were able to come home and everything was going as smoothly as it possibly could be with a new baby. It was good to have Alex and also good to have Emmy here to take care of him. My schedule essentially stayed the same with school, work and homework.

I was walking home from work one day when I saw a bunch of police cars with sirens and lights on. They were in the same direction as the apartment but I couldn't really see what was going on until I got closer. There had been a shooting in one of the apartments in the complex we lived in.

I quickly made my way through the crowd of policemen when I saw Emmy holding our week old son.

"Emmy?" I called out to her. She looked at me as I made my way to her.

"Are you two alright?" I asked her a bit nervously.

"We're fine, but that cute little old couple that lived across from us, there was a shooting and they were some of the victims."

…..

Later that night I was in my office doing some more homework when I heard gun fires. I quickly got up and yelled for Emmy. It didn't make sense, this was usually a somewhat safe neighborhood and this was the second shooting in only a day.

"Emmy?" I called out again as I ran out of my office, I saw her and Alex huddled on the floor in the nursery across the hall from my office. I ran over to them and sat on the floor with them. After a few minutes the gun fire ended.

"We're moving." I announced to Emmy as this place seemed to be becoming a hot spot for fun fires.

"But I love this place." Emmy said as I took Alex from her.

"I know, but its not safe anymore. Tomorrow, we're going apartment shopping in a better part of the city."

**Emmy's P.O.V**

A couple of days passed since the shootings. We still hadn't found a new place to live yet, but we were on the lookout.

I made my way through the docks to the fisherman's market, hoping to get some fresh shrimp to add to the vegetables and rice I was hoping to cook for dinner that night.

Jonathan was in class and Karl had agreed to take Alex so I could go shopping alone. Plus I didn't want to bring my 2 week old out to the docks. It was cool and breezy out here and I didn't want him to catch a cold.

I had picked up the shrimp and was on my way back home when I ran into a couple; I thought I had left behind in Iowa.

"Emily?" the woman asked as she recognized me.

"Mrs. Black….its good to see you again." I lied to the woman. I had hoped I'd never see her or her husband again. I didn't want to remember.

"Emily." Mr. Black acknowledged. I could hear the loathing this man had for me from the tone in his voice. I didn't blame him, I felt like I deserved the hate.

"We better get going Margaret; we don't want to be late." Mr. Black spat to his wife. Mrs. Black gave me a sympathetic smile as she walked away with her husband.

Memories of what had happened flooded back hitting me like a bullet. I walked back to my apartment deep in thought. I mindlessly opened the front door to reveal my brother who was making funny faces talking in a high pitched voice to my son. I smiled a bit at the site before I walked into the kitchen to make.

Karl followed me into the kitchen.

"How was shopping?" he asked me.

"Fine." I whispered hoping to just move on. I had a new life now…I didn't want this to affect the life I had here.

"Hey, are you ok?" my brother inquired noticing my mood.

"Yeah…I'm fine…I'm just in a bit of shock." I answered.

"What happened?"

"I…I ran into the Black's today." I admitted.

"The Blacks? You mean Anna's parents?" he exclaimed. I nodded.

"I knew the past would eventually catch up to me….I had just hoped it wouldn't be this soon. I don't know what I can say to them to make things better."

"Do they still blame you for what happened?"

"Of course they do, Karl. Their daughter is dead." I breathed in a bit sharply.

"What happened was not your fault. The man responsible was convicted and is sitting in a prison cell." He justified.

"I know it wasn't my fault…..but I still feel guilty." I admitted to him, before putting the shrimp in the fridge.

A few hours later, I was in the kitchen making dinner when Jonathan came home. Alex was asleep and Karl was in the kitchen keeping me company, more like trying to keep an eye on me.

"Hi." I said to Jonathan as he gave me a quick kiss before he disappeared into his office. Dinner was mostly quiet, I wasn't really in the mood to talk I just wanted the day to be over with.

Karl went home after to dinner to study. I was washing dishes when Jonathan came in with his empty plate. One of his hands went to my waist as his other hand put the plate in the sink.

"Are you alright, Emmy? You seem off tonight?" Jonathan inquired.

"I'm fine." I answered trying to give him a small smile. He went to say something when Alex started to cry.

"I better go take care of him." I told Jonathan, relieved to be getting out of that conversation. I didn't want to tell him.

After Alex was fed, changed and happily asleep again, I sat down on the couch and attempted to read one of the textbooks Jonathan had lent me. I could feel a silent tear glide down my check when I heard Jonathan come into the room. I quickly wiped the tear away hoping Jonathan wouldn't notice as I tried to put on a smile.

"Are you crying?" he quietly asked sitting next to me.

"I'm fine. I just ran into someone down at the docks that I…." I started.

"You went to the docks? Emmy I don't want you going down there, it's dangerous." Jonathan interrupted me.

"I know…I really wish I had just listened to you and stayed away. You're always right." I admitted to him looking to the ground.

"What happened?" he inquired.

"Nothing bad. I just saw some people I thought I had left back in Iowa."

"Who?"

"Just someone I never wanted to see again."

"Why?"

"You don't have to be my shrink Jonathan…I'm fine."

"If you were fine you'd be able to concentrate on the text book I gave you." Jonathan observed as he noticed the book in my hands. I thought a moment. I wasn't sure if I was really ready to talk about it yet. It had been almost two years now but I still didn't want to relive those moments of horror.

"Emmy, other you tell me what's going on or I'll go force it out of your brother." Jonathan threatened, annoyed at the silence and my resilience to talk.

"It's been close to two years now; sometimes I wake up hoping it was all just a horrible nightmare but nothing changes. It never will."

"What are you talking about?"

"The reason I came to Gotham."

"I thought you came to Gotham because of your father." Jonathan asked a bit confused.

"He's part of the reason, but I could have handled him on my own."

"Then what?"

"I left because of the ghost." I admitted looking over at him and he analyzed what I was saying.

"Are you seeing things?" he asked me a bit paranoid now. I smiled.

"No, nothing like that, I mean the memory. Back at the University in Iowa I lived in the dorms. I had a roommate named Anna. We were friends, not the best of friends, but we liked each other and would hang out. It was our Spring Break and I was heading home for the week. I invited her to stay the week with my family she declined saying she wanted to spend it with her boyfriend, Robert. So I left and went back to the farm. A few hours after I left, I guess they got into an argument.

"When I got back to the dorms a week later, I found Anna, hanging from the ceiling fan. I called the police and they were there within a matter of minutes. They cut Anna down and took her to the morgue. The bastard had slit her throat and hung her from the ceiling trying to make it look like a suicide. He was convicted of course and he's on death row, waiting in a cell now. I almost didn't finish the semester; I couldn't stay in that dorm room, not after that. I was able to room with another friend until the semester finished up. The whole time I was at that school, from there on out, I felt like a ghost was following me, blaming me for what had happened." I quietly said looking up to Jonathan now.

"Emmy, I fail to see how any of that is your fault. Did she confide in you that she was being abused? Or show any signs?" Jonathan asked me, as he processed the story I had just told him. I shook my head.

"No, she never said anything to me. She always seemed so happy and she loved Robert so much. Everyone thought they were going to get married. If I had stayed a few more hours though, maybe things could have been different; maybe she'd still be alive." I tried to rationalize.

"Or you could have been killed too. Emmy what happened wasn't your fault." Jonathan stressed as he took my hand. I looked at our hands for a moment.

"I ran into Anna's parents at the docks. They blame me for what happened." I told him.

"You know people tend to be irrational when they're stricken with grief. You weren't responsible."

"I know you're right, it's just hard not to feel somewhat responsible." I confined with him. Jonathan gave my hand a bit of a squeeze before leaning in to kiss me. Before our lips could meet we heard a soft cry coming from Alex's room.

"I better get him." I whispered to Jonathan.

"Why don't you let me take care of him tonight? You could use the rest." Jonathan offered. I smiled.

"If I'm ever going to get the hang of this breastfeeding thing, I think I better be the one to feed him." I answered.

"Well, feed him, change his diaper and then let me take care of him" Jonathan offered.

"You have homework."

"Let me worry about that, come on Em…let me do this for you." Jonathan said standing up and following me into Alex's room. I smiled; I don't think anyone had ever called me "Em" before.

"Ok." I agreed, him giving him a small kiss. I really had no idea how I managed to snatch such a wonderful man.

…

**Author's Note: **_Hello everyone. Sorry it's taken me so long to update. Thanks to those who are following/favoring my story. And a special thanks to **ZabuzasGirl** and **rubymaya92** for reviewing. Chapter 13 will be up later tonight. Feel free to leave a review if you have a moment. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. Thanks!-Lin_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 **

**Surprise**

**Emmy's P.O.V**

I had Alex on a blanket; he squirmed and wiggled happily as he cooed at me. I couldn't believe he was already two months old; time flew a lot faster now that I was a mom. I got out my picture phone hoping to get a picture of his cute smile. He would give me a bit of a smirk, very similar to his father's, and then make some other face before I could get a picture.

"Come on Alex, give mama a smile." I pleaded with my 2 month old son in a cheerful voice. Alex moved around, looking at everything he possibly could. His arms waved a bit as he kicked happily. I plastered a huge smile on my face hoping he would mimic my action. He gave me a bit of a sly smile as he let out a happy little sound. I laughed a bit, holding my phone up hoping to get his smile.

Alex suddenly got very excited, moving his arms and kicking as fast as he possibly could. I had no idea what made him so happy, but I took advantage of the sudden burst of energetic cheerfulness and took a few pictures. After his little happy spree, I looked through the pictures. Most of them were fuzzy but I got one super cute clear one.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I was on my way from school to work when I heard the chime of my phone. I took my phone out of my pocket to see it was a text from Emmy.

It was captioned _"Hi Dad"_ and when I opened it there was a picture of Alex smiling. I smiled a bit before closing the picture and continuing my walk to work.

…

The smell of burnt turkey filled the air as I walked through the door with our already cooked replacement turkey dinner. Emmy was making a big deal of Alex's first Thanksgiving. Making a big deal out of it isn't a bad thing, but seriously the food didn't have to be perfect, there were only going to be three of us actually eating, and it's not like Alex was going to remember the day. Ugh, Emmy was driving me nuts!

For our normal every day routine she was usually level headed, but tonight she was super stressed and I couldn't figure out why. Her cooking was normally fine; she hadn't burnt anything, I was aware of, since I've known her. So what the hell was going on tonight that was making her so spacy?

"Here's the turkey; anything else?" I asked as Emmy some kind of dish out the oven.

"Thanks so much. I'm so sorry about the last one. I'm such a spaz tonight." Emmy stuttered nervously.

"What's going on?" I asked her calmly hoping to get inside her mind a bit. This just wasn't normal for her.

"I thought it was just going to be us and Karl for Thanksgiving dinner. Well, he called and told me he was bringing a friend tonight. Normally I'm fine with that sort of thing but he waited til the last minute to tell me. So now I feel completely unprepared and I'm kind of pissed that he _told_ me and didn't ask me." Emmy confessed to me.

"Why didn't you just tell your brother to have Thanksgiving with his friend and leave us alone?" I questioned.

"Because his friend is a girl he wants me to meet."

"Great, that type of meeting. Why did he insist on today? Why not sometime next week when it's not a holiday?"

"I'm not sure. He just wanted her to come. Besides now we know why he hasn't been hanging out here as much. You have to admit that's been nice." Emmy stated. That was true, without that oaf here I was able to study in peace…well as much peace as you get with a baby.

Emmy finished getting things ready for our Thanksgiving dinner when we heard a knock on the door.

"Well they're here." Emmy commented as she walked towards the door.

"Hi." Emmy cheerfully welcomed our guests. I didn't understand her, I mean why she doesn't just tell her brother how she really feels and kick them out. They weren't worth the extra stress.

"Emmy I'd like you to meet Barb." Karl introduced his blue eyed blonde date to his sister. Emmy shook Barb's hand, introduced me and informed everyone that dinner was ready. Alex was asleep in his room so I gently picked him up and brought him into the dining room. I set him down in his swing before joining the group. I much preferred it when it was just Emmy, Alex and I.

I mostly ignored the conversation going on as Emmy asked Barb questions trying to get to know her. After I finished my food, I put the plate in the sink, picked up Alex, his swing and walked back into my office. I wasn't interested in the nonsense going on. I had other things that needed my attention more than Karl's love life.

I had been studying a while when Emmy came in with a slice of pumpkin pie. She put it on the desk next to my laptop, gently wrapped her arms around my neck and giving the side of my head a kiss.

"Didn't enjoy the company?' she questioned.

"Not really. I have other things to do that deserve my time and attention more." I replied. She nodded.

"I don't blame you. Karl sure is smitten though and I'm not going to lie, I think Barb is pregnant." Emmy theorized.

"Emmy I'm not interested in gossiping. I need to get back to this." I told her. I didn't mind talking to her, but if this was what she was going to talk about, I simply wasn't interested. Emmy nodded.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bug you. I'll come back for your plate in a bit." Emmy apologized as she started to walk away. I went to say something when we heard more gun shots go off. I pulled Emmy to the ground and quickly got in front of Alex. The gun shots lasted a few minutes before they died down.

"We have to be out of here by next weekend, Emmy. This is just too dangerous." I told her as I stood up and helped her to her feet. I wasn't going to lose my son or wife to the gangs and drug dealers that had decided to make our once safe apartment a danger zone.

"Where would we go?" she asked.

"We'll find a place, even if we have to downsize. We just have to get away from here before one of us gets killed."

"I agree."

"Hey are you guys ok?" Karl said coming into the room. Emmy looked from me to her brother. She nodded.

"How about you and Barb?" she asked.

"We're fine."

…..

**Emmy's P.O.V**

I was getting dishes rinsed off and putting them in the dishwasher when Karl approached me.

"Where's Barb?" I asked him as he leaned against the cabinet.

"In the bathroom." He replied. I nodded. There was just something that told me Barb was pregnant and that was just another piece to the puzzle.

"Do you like Barb?" he asked.

"She seems nice." I guessed, not really knowing that much about her.

"Do you think mom and dad will like her?"

"Probably; why? Are you taking Barb out to Iowa?"

"Not exactly. We found out about a week ago that Barb is pregnant. The baby is mine. We want to get married next month just after Christmas. I want to invite the family out here." Karl confessed to me. I was surprised yet not surprised.

"When is she due?"

"End of Julyish."

I felt like he was living my life since last year I was the one that was pregnant. He seemed happy though and I honestly wasn't one to talk. I mean, last year I slept with a guy I barely knew, got pregnant and married.

"What was it like for you and Jonathan last year?" He asked me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Well he got me pregnant and we got married…that was pretty much it."

"You didn't love him?"

"I barely knew him. We worked together on a project for school. I thought we were going to have a one night stand. A few weeks later I found out I was pregnant, a few days later we got married down at the courthouse."

"You married a guy you barely knew?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Emmy!"

"What?"

"You married a guy you barely knew? He could have been a sadist or a murderer for all you knew." Karl stated clearly not happy at my choice.

"Well, I don't think Jonathan is too big of a sadist and no I didn't know him that well. I went into the marriage knowing we didn't love each other. However, things have changed and I do care about him a lot." I told my brother.

"Do you love him now?"

"Yes, I do love him."

…..

After another hour Karl and Barb left, they seemed like a cute couple but I really didn't know enough about Barb to have an opinion on her. They were happy and it would be kind of fun for Alex to I finally finished loading all the dishes into the dishwasher when Jonathan brought the plate he pie had rested upon in.

"How's studying going?" I asked.

"It's going, there's still a lot to do." He answered, putting the plate in the sink.

"I was right, Barb is pregnant. They want to get married next month." I informed him.

"I still don't care." He bluntly responded. I nodded; already knowing that, this is where having a friend who was a girl would come in handy. I could gossip and I would have someone other than my husband or brother to talk too.

"They're going to invite my parents and the family out here for the wedding. I'm really not looking forward to having my parents out here." I went on even though he wasn't interested in what I had to say.

"Don't worry about them Emmy. If you want to avoid the drama, skip out on the wedding." He suggested.

"I may have to. Their wedding should be a joyous event; I don't want my dad making a scene because I'm there."

"Don't worry about it, Emmy. It's still a month away and I'm sure your brother will understand if you're not there." He pointed out. I knew he was right; I honestly just didn't want to see them. Things weren't going to get better and I didn't see any point of turning a wedding into a drama fest.

I looked over Jonathan's shoulder to our sleeping baby boy in Jonathan's office. I smiled a bit as a thought hit me.

"I just realized something." I thought out loud.

"What's that?" Jonathan inquired.

"A year ago, not to the day, but last Thanksgiving, around this time we were creating Alex." I realized. Jonathan had a look of surprise for a minute as he thought about what I had said. He nodded and looked back to the sleeping little figure. He turned back to me after a few seconds. He put a hand to my cheek and gave me a soft kiss.

"Do you regret it?" I questioned him after the kiss ended.

"No, I don't regret him…and I don't regret you." Jonathan said to my surprise. He gave me another kiss before returning to his studies.

…

The next day, I was nursing Alex when Jonathan came into the nursery after returning home from work.

"We better get our things packed. I found an apartment closer to my school, we're moving in a couple of days." Jonathan informed me as he leaned against the wall.

"Wow you weren't kidding when you said we were going to be out of here in the next week." I stated surprised as this news.

"You shouldn't be surprised; I told you what I was doing." He said.

A few days later we were moved into our new three bedroom apartment. It was small, but still nice and clean. The neighborhood seemed nice; there were a lot of families that lived there so I hoped I could become friends with some of the other mothers. It would be nice to have a friend and if I could find someone with a child close to Alex's age maybe we could do play dates for the kids or something like that when they got older.

Boxes filled the apartment top to bottom. Jonathan pretty much set up his new office almost identical to the one he had in our last apartment, he left the rest of the apartment for me to unpack and set up.

I had Alex strapped to me in my moby wrap as I went around the apartment unpacking and putting things in their place. Alex was squirming around happily as he cooed at everything he saw. He was such a happy baby, I loved it!

Once everything was set up and where I wanted them. I decided it was time to get our Christmas tree up. It was a miniature tree, so I just had it on a small table in the front room. Alex was "helping" me put a decoration on the tree when the door opened and closed.

Jonathan was coming home for lunch now since we lived so much closer to campus. It was nice to see him a little bit more. Though he never said it, I think he liked being home with Alex a bit more. I turned to look at Jonathan as he set his book bag down on the couch.

"Hey! How were your classes this morning?" I asked as he walked over to us.

"Finals are next week, so its busier than usual." He commented. He looked so tired. I don't think he had slept in the past week.

"Just this week and next, then I can relax a bit." He reminded himself.

"You know I really don't mind the idea of getting a job." I suggested.

"We've already been through this; I don't like the idea of a stranger raising my son. With you I know he's safe and being taken care of. Besides at this point childcare will cost more than the money you'd make. For now, let's just focus on getting the semester over with. Maybe when he's older we can talk about you getting a job."

"What if I go out and get one anyway?"

"Then it better be a job that you can Alex to or make sure your brother can watch him, because I'm not leaving him with some random baby sitter. Remember this is Gotham." He reminded me. Damn I hated how he used that against me, but it was true. Gotham was a dangerous place and you couldn't really trust anyone. I hated the feeling of defeat Jonathan always gave me when this subject came up.

"I'm sorry. I just want to help." I told as I walked out of the room to make his lunch. After a few minutes in the kitchen, Jonathan came in.

"Look, I know you want to help. Right now you are helping me by taking care of Alex. I promise when Alex is in school. I will support you in whatever you want to do but for now I want you here with Alex. I trust you with Alex, I know you won't hurt him and I know that you take good care of him. Understand I don't want to enable you…I want what's best for our son. I think you being at home with our son is what's best…for now at least." Jonathan tried to explain.

"I know you want what's best for him. I do too. You're right, Gotham is a dangerous place. We can't trust anyone with him." I quietly said. After I finished making Jonathan's lunch I went back to decorating the Christmas tree.

"You're a good mother, you know." Jonathan said coming back into the room.

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"Alex is a happy baby, Emmy. You're the reason." Jonathan explained.

"I don't know…he has a pretty good father." I stated. Jonathan gave me one of his smirks before giving me a soft kiss.

….

I couldn't wait for Jonathan to get home from work. Today was our 1st wedding anniversary! I couldn't believe how my feelings for him had changed in the last year. We had made it longer than I thought we had, though looking back at how things were and seeing how things were now, I didn't regret anything.

Alex was happily playing in his little bouncer seat as I started to make dinner. I went to pull out the roast I had bought when I heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was just one of our neighbors I walked over to the door and opened it.

"Mom?" I exclaimed, looking at the woman in front of me; next to her was Grandma Marge.

"What are you two doing here?"

…..

**Author's Note:** _Here's chapter 13. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks again to all those who are following/favoring my story. I will try to update again soon. Please feel free to leave a review if you have a moment. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks!-Lin_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Why are you here?" I asked my mother and grandmother again.

"We're here for the wedding and bridal shower." My mother growled at me a bit as she came into my apartment. She looked around, her nose turned up at the family pictures of Jonathan, Alex and me, I had placed on the walls.

"I'm not; I'm here to see that hot hubby of yours." Grandma Marge piped in following my mother into the apartment. I closed the door behind them. The wedding wasn't for another two weeks and the bridal shower was a couple days before that. So those two being here, two weeks early made no sense.

"Is that your son?" my mother asked now looking at Alex who was still happily playing in his bouncer.

"Yes, that's Alex." I answered as Grandma Marge walked over to Alex and gently picked him up.

"Emily, he's so handsome. Congratulations!" Grandma Marge complimented as she admired my son.

"Thanks Grandma." I smiled; glad that at least my grandmother was happy for me.

"He looks like his father." My mother stated looking Alex over.

"Where's the rest of the family?" I inquired, not knowing if the boys and my father would be here soon.

"They're still in Iowa working on the farm. We decided to come out early and meet the two newest members of the family." Mom said as she gave Alex a slight smile. She was warming up to him.

"He really is adorable, Emily." My mom beamed at bit at my son.

"He's been a lot of fun." I told them as Grandma Marge handed Alex to my mom. It was interesting to see how something that could have easily turned into a yelling match turned into such a peaceful moment. My mom smiled softly as she held her grandson.

"He's wonderful Emmy...I…I'm very happy for you." Mom choked out a bit as looked from my son to me.

"He is. Jonathan is too. I think if you gave him a chance you may like him." I suggested.

"Oh I don't need to give him a chance I already do like him." Grandma Marge chimed in, giving me a sly smile and wink.

"You're really happy here, aren't you Emmy?" Mom questioned me as she looked back to my son to the pictures on the wall.

"I am." I replied. Her smile widened a bit as she pulled me into a one armed hug as she was still holding Alex.

"I can tell. I'm happy for you. You have a cute family of your own; you've made your own life. Good for you." My mom congratulated me, something I didn't expect.

"Thanks mom." I said to her.

"So where is that cute hubby of yours? I can't wait to see him." Grandma Marge asked as she wandered around the apartment, clearly looking for Jonathan.

I looked up at the clock, realizing I really needed to get started on dinner if I was going to finish by the time Jonathan came home.

"He's working." I informed them as I walked back over to the kitchen and worked on getting the roast, potatoes and carrots ready to tonight.

"Did we come at a bad time?" my mother asked as she and Grandma Marge followed me into the kitchen.

"Well, today is Jonathan's and mine 1st wedding anniversary. I wanted to make a special dinner to celebrate." I happily replied as I chopped the potatoes and carrots up while the roast was cooking in the slow cooker.

"Really?"

"How exciting!" my Mom and Grandma Marge said in unison.

"It is exciting. I can't believe it's been a year already." I happily chatted away. It was nice to be able to talk to them about this.

"You're enjoying marriage?" Grandma Marge asked.

"I love it. Jonathan has been working so hard. He just finished finals and is working full time at the pharmacy until the next semester starts."

"So he's finished his first semester of medical school?" My mother inquired.

"Yep. He actually gets to sleep for now. He's been pulling all nighters doing homework. He's a great hardworking man."

"Sounds like it. When will he be home?" mom asked.

"Hopefully around 5:30-6. We used to live over by the pharmacy but moved here to be closer to campus." I lied not wanting to tell them about the shootings.

"Karl told us you were having some problems with shootings and that kind of thing. I'm glad that you're in a safer place now." Mom said. I nodded.

"So did Karl tell you where we live then?" I asked.

"He did, he also told us when the baby was born and that you had a boy. That's pretty much all he would tell us though. He didn't even tell us your address until we showed up at his door today." Grandma Marge informed me.

"So he didn't even know you were coming?" I questioned her.

"Nope, we just kind of took off, deciding to surprise you guys." Mom answered. That was weird my mom never did anything like that. She was a very proper, do everything that you're expected to do type person.

"You definitely surprised me. I didn't expect to see you guys until the wedding, assuming I go." I continued the conversation.

"You don't think you'll go?" Grandma asked.

"Will dad be here?" I inquired.

"Yes, they'll fly in the day before the wedding." Mom answered. I nodded, yeah now I was definitely not going.

"I can't go if dad's going to be there. I don't want to ruin the wedding and I'd rather be here with Jonathan and Alex anyway." I confirmed what I had been thinking.

"Emmy, Karl wants you there. You mean a lot to him and he's really gone out of his way to include you guys in his life." My mom scolded me a bit.

"I know and the best thing I can do is not cause a problem at his wedding. We all know how dad is when he's around me. I don't want turn their day into a family feud." I explained.

My mother went to reply when there was a knock on the door. I put the remaining veggies in the slow cooker with the roast and walked over to the door. I opened it to reveal a man in a red uniform holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Emily Crane?" the man asked.

"I'm she," I answered as the man handed me the flowers and quickly left. I closed the door behind me as I walked into the dining room, staring at the flowers I was holding.

"What do you have Emmy?" my grandmother inquired as she walked over to me.

"They're Forget-Me-Nots." I replied setting the beautiful boutique of small purplish blue flowers on the dining room table. I smiled; remembering Jonathan had asked me what my favorite flower was a week ago. They were such small, beautiful and dainty flowers. I looked the flowers over when I saw a note. I picked up the note and opened it.

"_Emmy,_

_Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary, thank you for the year and I look forward to several more years together._

_Jonathan_

_P.S These flowers are hard to find in Gotham, so I hope you like them."_

I smiled at the note and looked back at the flowers. Now I really couldn't wait for Jonathan to get home. I was grateful he cared enough to remember our anniversary. I was surprised he bought me flowers though. He hated spending money and he just didn't seem like the type to send flowers. I was going to make sure he got a proper "thank you" when he got home tonight.

"They're from Jonathan." I commented still looking at the flowers. They were stunning.

"You always did like Forget-Me-Nots." My mother stated.

After another hour my mother and Grandmother left and I set up the table getting things ready for our nice anniversary dinner. I looked up at the clock realizing that Jonathan would be home any minute and I couldn't wait.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I dragged myself home from a long day at work. I couldn't wait to have medical school and residency over with. Then I could quit this job and be busy doing something I would hopefully enjoy doing more. It was better than some of the jobs my peers were working to get through medical school though and it did pay better.

I unlocked and opened the door to my apartment as was struck with the yummy aroma of a roast. I knew Emmy had been planning a big dinner to celebrate tonight. I was looking forward to this feast. I was amazed Emmy and I had made it this long; I was also amazed at how my feelings for her had changed. She could still be annoying and high energy but those traits seemed more tolerable now. I hadn't told her I loved her since Alex was born and I had no intention of verbalizing it again. I hoped by my actions though, she would know I loved her.

As I walked into the apartment I saw the flowers I had ordered for Emmy a couple of days ago. It took forever to find a flower shop that had Forget-Me-Nots available, I hoped she liked them.

Emmy was putting the food onto a platter as I walked up to her.

"Hey. How are you doing?" Emmy asked me as I put an arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss.

"I'm fine. Tired but fine. Happy Anniversary Em." I replied.

"Happy Anniversary! Thanks for the flowers I love them." She happily said. I smiled, that statement made it worth the time I took trying to find them.

"If you don't mind waiting a few more minutes I'll have everything set out on the table." Emmy told me as she went back to the food.

**Emmy's P.O.V**

After we finished dinner I started to gather dishes up when Jonathan put his hand on mine.

"How long has Alex been asleep?" he asked me.

"He went to sleep right before you came home." I answered. Jonathan nodded pulling me to him, his lips crashing down on top of mine. His arms went to my waist as he lifted me up and set me on the table. Things were quickly moved out of the way before he got on top of me. His hands wandering my body. The next thing I knew we were making love on the kitchen table.

…..

The next two weeks went by quickly. My mother and grandmother had visited me on occasion but they were obviously here for my brother and his fiancé. The bridal shower was lovely, I got to know Barb better and from what I knew I really quite liked her. Jonathan was keeping busy, only having one more week until school started back. He took a few days off of work; he let me know he had no interest in going to the wedding but would go if I wanted to.

I talked to Karl who pretty much begged me to come to the wedding, telling me dad's presence at his wedding was optional…mine was not. I felt conflicted, I really wanted to go but I didn't want anything to do with my dad. He had made his decision and he didn't want me in his life unless it was by his rules. However that shouldn't stop me from going to my brother's wedding right?

"Do you think there's any chance we could go and just ignore my dad?" I asked Jonathan as we sat on the couch. Jonathan was holding Alex and talking to him, trying to get him to smile.

"Em if you want to go, then let's just go. If at any point you want to leave we'll leave. It's as simple as that." Jonathan told me, making things simpler than I felt they were.

"The wedding is tomorrow. I guess it couldn't hurt to stop by and congratulate them." I suggested.

"That would be fine."

….

"You may now kiss the bride." The priest told my brother and his wife as their ceremony had finished. It was a beautiful ceremony; however I liked my wedding ceremony better. Jonathan brought was on his textbooks to review during the wedding as he tried to get a head start on his classes for the next semester.

Once the kiss was over and they walked down the isle together, everyone filed into their cocktail hour. I held Alex as Grandma Marge and I talked. True Grandma Marge was talking to me, but her eyes stayed on Jonathan. He ignored her and continued with his studies even when she tried to flirt with him.

"Emmy!" I heard someone call. I turned to see Mark, another one of my brother. I smiled at him as he gave me a hug.

"How are you doing Mark?" I asked him.

"Pretty good; just working on the farm. We had a pipeline freeze before we came out here, that was fun to fix." He sarcastically answered. I went to say something but was interrupted by someone else saying my name. I turned to see my father. I felt my heart start to speed a bit as I realized he _was_ going to make a scene.

"Look I don't want to cause a scene here.." I started to tell him but he snapped his fingers warning me to shut up. I didn't understand, when was such a kind gentile man when I was growing up, when did that change?

I was quiet as I waited for him to speak; a few minutes of silence went by. I looked over where Jonathan was sitting. He was still very absorbed in his book.

"I just want you to know that you are the biggest disappointment of my life." He growled at me. "I never thought, of all my kids, you would be the one to rebel and leave the family farm. You're a disgrace to the family. You left, became a whore and gave birth to that bastard."

"You can say whatever you want about me. I don't care about that. But don't you ever say anything bad about my son." I warned me as I felt myself grow angry.

"It's a good thing I disowned you. You're nothing to me." He said trying to hurt me with his words.

"If that were true, you'd have been able to ignore me." I spat back at him. Suddenly my father threw the table next to him into the air, the dishes, décor and food flew in the air for a moment before they plummeted to the ground with several loud bangs. The room grew quiet as all eyes were on us.

Not a moment passed before Jonathan was by my side.

"Lets go." He whispered to me taking my hand.

"Damn you Emily. Damn you and your family. You will all rot in hell." My father said with a venom in his voice. I turned back to him.

"I just have one thing to say to you before I walk out of your life forever. I am not dirt under your feet, dad. I don't deserve the way you're treating me and I can and do stand on my own. I don't need you and I never will need you. I'm sorry that you're so miserable because of my choices. But I'm not sorry for happiness both my son and husband have brought me. I have made my own life and I love it. Goodbye dad." I told him before turning back to Jonathan and walking out of the banquet hall with my own little family.

….

Jonathan was in his office, as usual when I heard a knock on the door. I picked Alex up as we walked over to the door to see my mother.

"Mom?" I asked her a bit nervously.

"I just came to say goodbye. We're leaving for the airport soon. I just wanted to tell you, I'm proud of you and I hope you always find happiness." She told me as a silent tear fell down her cheek. I smiled at her and gave her a hug.

"It was good to see you mom." I told her. She nodded and gave me one last hug before walking away. I watched her leave, not realizing I would never see her, my father, my grandmother or any of my brothers (with the exception of Karl) again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Warning:** _Mentions of gun violence and a school shooting in this chapter_.

**Chapter 15**

**Pregnancy and Violence**

**4 years later…**

"Are you excited?" I asked my husband as he finished putting his suit on. I couldn't believe four years had passed so quickly and that Jonathan was graduating from medical school today. All his hard work was paying off.

"I just want to get this and residency over with and start my career." Jonathan replied as he finished tying his tie. He was the same, never wanting to celebrate his accomplishments only looking forward.

"I am so happy for you." I told him, walking up to him and giving him a kiss.

"Ewwww." We heard four year old Alex say as he ran into the room in time for the kiss. We parted and looked down at him. Alex had gone from a snuggly little baby to a rumbustious four year old who never wanted to sit still. Jonathan gave him a bit of a smirk before going back to getting ready.

"Mama, when is Zack going to be here?" Alex asked me as he climbed onto the bed. Karl and Barb had a cute little boy named Zack. It was fun to watch Alex and Zack together; they were best friends.

"Probably in another hour." I replied. Alex was so energetic; we decided it would be best for him to stay with Karl and Barb during the actual graduation. They would bring him an hour into the ceremony so he could be part of the celebration afterwards.

"Yippee!" Alex squealed jumping off the bed and running out of the room. I smiled at his enthusiasm and looked back over at Jonathan. He was putting his wallet and keys in his pocket and then took his graduation robe out of the closet.

"I can't believe you graduate from medical school today. The years have gone by fast." I said trying to start a conversation with him.

"I'm just glad that part is over with." He stated turning to me.

"Maybe you'll actually get to sleep now." I thought out loud.

"That would be nice but I'm not counting on it." He admitted to me. I nodded knowing that was true. He decided to start his residency immediately after medical school. He only had a week

break before he began that part of his journey. Another hour passed and Karl, Barb and Zack showed up. Once they saw each other, Alex and Zack darted passed us and ran into Alex's room to play.

"Em, we have to get going." Jonathan informed me. I knew he was anxious to get this over with and that he wanted to get there. I nodded to him and exchanged a couple of words with Karl before Jonathan and I left.

…..

I made my way through the pool of people looking for Jonathan. The graduation ceremony had just finished and everyone was trying to find their graduates. After a few minutes of searching I spotted Jonathan. Luckily he had also seen me.

"Meet me by the door." Jonathan mouthed while pointing the direction of the door.

"Ok." I mouthed back at him and nodded.

A few minutes later we met by the door. I gave him a big smiled, walked up to him and gave him a huge kiss. I think I surprised him a bit but he quickly returned the kiss. Normally Jonathan wasn't really into public display of affection. When we went out he would put an arm around me or hold my hand but he never kissed me in front of other people before. Of course, I did kind of force it on him.

"Congratulations, Dr. Crane." I greeted him after the kiss. He smirked at me a bit. We went in for another kiss when we heard our little four year old call to us.

"Mama, Daddy!" Alex said happily running over to us. Jonathan smiled at him and picked him up as he reached us. I loved my cute little family.

…

**1 year later**

Alex was now five and would be starting preschool in the next month. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I was so happy that he was such a smart little guy and that he was starting this new adventure but still he was my baby! I didn't want him to grow up so fast… or maybe it was more I didn't want to get old so fast. Either way it was happening.

I was putting Alex to bed when we heard the front door open and close. Jonathan was home from another day of residency.

"Emmy?" I heard Jonathan call out.

"Is daddy home?" Alex asked excitedly. I nodded. Alex quickly jumped out of bed and ran out the door.

"Daddy!" I could hear him saying loudly. When I walked into the front room I could see Alex hugging Jonathan's leg tightly giving his dad a huge smile. Jonathan was talking calmly to him telling him he should be in bed.

"But I wanted to see you." Alex whined.

"You can see me tomorrow. I have the day off; I'll be here all day." Jonathan told him.

"Really?" Alex asked excitedly. Jonathan smiled and nodded.

"Can we go to zoo and see the elephants?" Alex questioned.

"Sure son." Jonathan agreed after thinking a moment. "Now go to bed. You'll need all that energy for tomorrow."

"'k daddy!" Alex said before running passed me and climbed back into his bed. I chuckled a bit and turned back to Jonathan.

"I wish he'd go to bed that easy for me. I usually have to bribe him with a story or something." I told Jonathan as he walked up to me. Jonathan put his hands on my waist and leaned in for a kiss.

"I have paper work to do." He said softly to me. I nodded.

"You always have paper work." I stated.

"I know, there will be even more once residency is over with." He told me. I nodded already knowing that.

"I'll get your dinner heated up and bring it in for you." I told him. He nodded and walked into his office. After I finished heating his food up I walked into his office and set the food down on his desk.

"Thanks Em." Jonathan said not looking up from his paper work.

"No problem" I said before I started to walk out. I stopped at the door. I wanted to talk to him about something but I wasn't sure how to bring it up. I stood there for a few seconds before turning back to him.

"Jonathan?" I asked a bit nervously. A couple more seconds passed before he turned around to look at me.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I inquired.

"Of course." Jonathan nodded towards the extra chair he kept next to his desk. I smiled, walked over to him and sat down in the chair next to him.

"What do you want to talk about?" Jonathan questioned me.

"Well, as you know, Alex will be starting preschool next month. I know he'll only be gone part of the day but I was thinking maybe I could go back to school. I know I could only take one or two classes but I'd really like to start working on my degree again." I pretty much blurted out. Jonathan took of his glasses as he thought a moment.

"Have you looked into what you'd have to do to get your scholarship back?" he asked me.

"Not yet, I wanted to talk with you before I contacted them." I told him. He thought for another moment before putting his glasses back on.

"You realize that means going back to doing homework and late night rights?" he asked me. I nodded.

"If you can get your scholarship back and if it doesn't conflict with the time you need to be here with Alex, then I think you should go for it Em. You getting your degree would benefit the family and I know you've wanted to do this for a long time. So see what you can find out and we'll take it from there." Jonathan suggested.

….

The next day while Jonathan was gone I made some phone calls, once I found out I could get my scholarship back I called Gotham University and made an appointment with the academic advisor to find out what exactly I needed to do to: 1. Get back into school and 2. What classes I would need to take to in order to graduate. I was so ecstatic to be going back to school.

I loved being able to be at home with Alex but where he was starting preschool this just seemed like a good time to try to get started back on my degree. I knew I would only be able to take a couple of courses this semester and I knew I couldn't be picky about which classes I took considering they needed to work out with mine, Jonathan's and Alex's schedule.

After I was able to meet with the academic advisor, I pretty much only had one option when it came to a specialty in psychology since it was the only one really available during the times I was available.

"I guess I get to specialize in Marriage and Family counseling." I informed Jonathan as I rinsed dishes off and put them into the dishwasher.

"Hmmm, its not exactly what I thought you'd go into but I think you'd do well in it." Jonathan commented a bit thoughtfully.

"What did you think I'd go into?" I asked him curiously.

"I always saw you helping rape victims or something like that. You are a very empathetic person and I think that would be a field you'd excel in. However after thinking it through a bit more I do think you would excel in Marriage and Family counseling."

I always wondered how Jonathan could think things through so quickly. Of course as a psychiatrist he had to be able to diagnose and prescribe medications in only a short amount of time so it was a trait that was to his advantage. I could think quickly but not nearly as quickly as he could. I hoped I could be a good therapist someday. Jonathan was already great at what he did.

**2 ½ years later…**

Alex was tucked into bed and happily dreaming the night away so I was sitting on the couch working on one of my classes when I heard a key go into the lock of the front door. I looked up at the clock to see it was 1:30 in the morning. I set my textbook down as Jonathan came into the apartment.

"Emmy." Jonathan greeted me as he closed the door behind him and locked it.

"Another late night?" I asked him. He nodded as he set his briefcase on the floor next to him. He looked so tired.

"Studying?" he asked me as he eyed the textbook on the couch.

"Well if I'm ever going to graduate I need to. I only have one more class after this and then I have my Masters." I chirped a bit happily. When Jonathan and I were in school together I was only a year behind him but where I could only take a few classes at a time it was taking longer than the normal year to graduate. My grades also weren't the "A's" they used to be. I mostly got "B's" and "C's" now but I was so excited to be finishing this up. I couldn't wait to have my Masters.

Jonathan gave me a tired smile.

"I'm glad you're happy. Now let's go to bed. I'm exhausted." He suggested starting to walk towards the bedroom.

….

The next day I stopped by the psychology department to ask my academic advisor something only to find out she would be quitting at the end of the semester and they were looking for someone to replace her. I filled out a job application not really expecting anything to come from it. I was surprised when I got a call from the head of the department asking me to come in for an interview that day.

A few days later I got the phone call telling me I had the job. I was ecstatic! Now I could be somewhat useful to my husband financially. I couldn't wait to tell Jonathan!

I had just put Jonathan's dinner in the fridge when the front door opened.

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

I preferred days like today when I was able to get home before dark. I could actually see Alex for a couple of hours before he went to bed and spend a bit of time with Emmy before starting on paper work.

"Hey." Emmy greeted me as our eyes met. She looked happy about something.

"Hey. You seem extra cheerful today. What's going on?" I asked her walking into the kitchen next to her.

"I just got some fun news today." She told me handing me a plate. I thought for a moment.

"Are you pregnant?" I asked her as that was the only thing that really came to mind.

"No….well at least I don't think so, but I did get a job." She reported with a bit of a twinkle in her eye. I was a bit surprised. I knew she hadn't been looking for a job so this must have been a very recent occurrence.

"I'll be working as one of the academic advisors for the Behavioral Science Department at Gotham University. Its only part time so it won't interfere with my class and being home with Alex." She continued before I could ask her. I nodded it wasn't her dream job, I knew that but it would keep her occupied while our now 7 year old went to school the majority of the day.

"When do you start?" I inquired wondering the details.

"Not until spring semester so about a month from now. It sounds like I'll be working with students who are working on their associates and bachelors for now. I think they'll start giving me some master students after I get mine."

I smiled at her enthusiasm. She was happy and I didn't have to worry about her being bored when she finished her homework. Only one more semester and she would have her Masters.

….

**Emmy's P.O.V**

"Here you go Mrs. Crane." The secretary for the academic adviser's said to me as she showed me my new office. It was so bare now that Jane, the previous academic adviser had all her things out.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Mary, the secretary, asked me. Mary had to be at least in her 70s, she was a nice old lady who took her job seriously. I shook my head and thanked her as I put the small box of belongs I had brought for my office.

"You don't have any appointments today, just get your office set up and you can go. Clock in tomorrow morning, your first appointment is at 8:30." Mary informed me before leaving me alone in my new office. It didn't take too long to have everything set up. I read through the school policies for the psychology department a couple of times before looking up at the clock to see it was now 12:20 and my class would be starting in 10 minutes.

I grabbed my textbook and laptop and went to walk out of the room when I ran into someone tall, dark and handsome.

"Jonathan?" I asked as my husband stood in front of me.

"Emmy." He greeted me with a smirk.

"What are you doing?" I inquired as I closed my office door behind me, locking it.

"I was just in the neighborhood, though I'd stop by." He answered pretty straightforward. There had to be something going on, he wouldn't be here just to say "hi", but unless it was an emergency I really needed to get to class.

"Want to walk me to class?" I asked him as I started to walk out of the Depart of Behavioral Science office. Jonathan nodded and walked with me down the hallway. It had been so long since we had walked these hallways together. We mostly tolerated each other, 8 years ago when we first met. Now we enjoyed eachother's company.

Jonathan asked me a couple of questions before we came to the classroom.

"I'll see you at home." Jonathan said before he gave my hand a tight squeeze and walked off. I wondered what he was doing here but shook my head and walked into the classroom.

…

**Jonathan's P.O.V**

"Thank you for your consideration." I thanked the Dean of the Department of Behavioral Sciences, shaking his hand. Emmy didn't know it yet but I had a job interview to teach some classes here at the University today. It wasn't the job I had hoped I would get right out of residency but I needed to have something lined up after residency was over. If I was lucky and something better came along I would go with that job but for now being a Professor here would be alright. I had a family to take care of and in this job market I couldn't afford to be picky.

A few days after my job interview I received a call informing me I had the job and would be starting in the fall. I was glad to have a job lined up after I was finished with residency.

…..

**Emmy's P.O.V**

Jonathan was working on some paperwork in his office while I sat on the couch studying. Alex was having a sleep over with Zack so it was just the two of at home tonight.

"Hey, mind if I talk to you for a minute?" Jonathan questioned as he sat next to me on the couch.

"Sure, what's up?" I asked him setting my text book down and looking at him.

"I have a couple of things I'd like to discuss with you."

"Ok."

"First, I had an interview with Gotham University and was offered a job to teach some Psychology classes there. I'll start in the fall." He informed me. I was surprised. I didn't realize he had been looking into that, though it did explain why he was there to walk me to class that day.

"That's not a job I thought you were interested in." I stated.

"Its not but until I can find something more in my area of expertise, this will do fine. It's a job and right now where jobs are scarce I can't be picky." He told me. I nodded knowing that was true. The depression had hit everyone hard and we were lucky for him to get this job.

"Maybe I'll actually get to see you since we'll be working at the same place." I smiled.

"We can have lunch together every day." He suggested.

"That would be nice. It'll be nice seeing you outside of the home." I stated. He nodded.

"What else did you want to talk about?" I asked him.

"I've been thinking, Alex will be turning 8 this year and where you have a job and I'm finishing up residency and have a job lined up that we should consider having another child." He calmly said. I was shocked by this. I had no idea he had been thinking about having another baby.

"You want to have another baby?" I asked him, making sure I had heard him right. This really wasn't a conversation I expected to have with him. I thought if we were going to purposely have another baby we would have had one by now.

"Yes, this seems like the time to start considering it if we are going to have another one." He told me. I sat there thinking for a minute. I didn't mind the idea of having another baby; I was just surprised that he was suggesting it.

"There's going to be at least 8 ½ years between them if we have another one. That seems a bit of a stretch." I said.

"Well it is our family. Its our choice if we have another baby now. I just thought I'd suggest it and we could talk about trying for another baby." Jonathan stated very calmly. He was so hard to read, I really wish I knew what he was thinking but even after all these years he was still a mystery to me.

"What are your thoughts?" he asked me after a few minutes of silence.

"I just started to work, what would we do with the baby while I'm working?"

"You would take your 6 weeks of maternity leave and then the University does have a daycare. Where we're both employees of the University I'm sure we could have the baby there while you're working." Jonathan answered. I couldn't tell how long he had been thinking about this but I could tell he had been thinking about it for a while now.

"Do you want to go to the bedroom and start trying?" I asked, giving him an impish smile.

**6 months later…..**

I finished up the semester and finally received my Masters. I was so thrilled to have the degree I had worked so hard for. The summer came and went and school started back up for Alex while Jonathan and I worked at the University. It was nice to see Jonathan more often. His office was elsewhere in the building but still it was more time that what we had been used to.

We had been trying to get pregnant for 6 months now. So far we had no luck, but six months really wasn't that long. I knew women who had been trying to get pregnant for several years now. I did find it interesting how I got pregnant after only one night with Jonathan the first time and that it was taking so long this time around.

It was morning when I marked off the date from my little handheld calendar I had been keeping track of my cycle. I realized my "Aunt Flo" was supposed to show up today. Jonathan was getting ready for work at the University and I needed to start on getting myself ready for work and Alex ready for school.

I quickly checked to see that there was no bleeding but put a pad in my purse just in case. I got Alex out of bed and he was starting to get ready for school. I put a batch of muffins in the oven and quickly got myself ready. I was taking the muffins out of the oven when Alex came out still in his pajamas.

"Alex, you need to get ready, school starts in 30 minutes." I told him looking up at the clock.

"Mom, I don't feel good today." Alex told me, with a thermometer in his mouth.

"You don't feel good? Where don't you feel good?" I asked him putting a hand on his forehead to see if he had a fever.

"My throat hurts and my tummy hurts." My nearly eight year old told me. I could tell he didn't have a fever and he seemed to be faking it.

"Well lets have your father take a look. Jonathan!" I called out; knowing if he really was sick he would let Jonathan look at him.

"Yeah?" I heard my husband say from our bedroom. Alex let out a defeated sigh as he walked out of the room a bit discouraged his plan to stay home from school didn't work. I smiled and went back to the muffins taking them out of the pan. I poured three glasses of orange juice before Jonathan came in, dressed and ready for work.

"Did you need something?" Jonathan asked me picking up a glass of orange juice.

"Oh, Alex was trying get out of school by being 'sick'. I could tell he didn't have a fever so I knew if he was faking it he wouldn't let you look at him. Sorry I should have let you know." I told him.

"That's probably the downside of having a dad with a medical degree." Jonathan smirked a bit. "Maybe I should walk him to school today, make sure nothing else is going on."

"Do you think he's being bullied?" I asked Jonathan concerned. This was the third time in the last two weeks he had tried to get out of going to school.

"I'll talk to him and see what I can find out." Jonathan said just before Alex came into the room with his backpack. After finishing their muffins they left the apartment.

Now that Jonathan was gone I quickly went into the bathroom and got out the supply of pregnancy tests I had decided to buy irrationally when we first decided to try for a baby. I stuffed a test in my purse since I needed to get to work. I would take it at the university if I didn't start bleeding by then.

…

"Good morning Mrs. Crane." Mary greeted me as I walked into the main office.

"Good morning. How are you today?" I asked her as I unlocked my office door.

"I'm doing pretty well and yourself?"

"I'm alright."

"Where's Dr. Crane? He usually walks you to your office in the morning."

"Our son was trying to get out of going to school today, so Jonathan wanted to walk him to school and make sure everything was alright." I told her. She nodded. I put my things in my office and then made my way to the women's bathroom wanting to take that pregnancy test.

I sat in the bathroom waiting for the test results. I didn't like waiting I wanted to know if I was or was not pregnant. After a couple of minute's two bold blue lines appeared, as they did over 8 years ago, telling me I was indeed pregnant. My heart leaped with joy; I couldn't wait to tell Jonathan.

I went about the rest of my morning happily. Jonathan was teaching most of the morning so I wouldn't see him until about noon. There was a side of me that wanted to interrupt his class to tell him but I knew he'd get really mad at me if I did that. I really, really wanted to tell him.

Around 11:50 I made my way over to Jonathan's office not wanting to wait until he came over to mine. He was walking out of a classroom when we ran into each other.

"Hey! How did things go with Alex?" I greeted him not wanting to tell him I was pregnant until we were in private.

"He seems fine. He told me there was a math test today he didn't want to take. I think there is something else going on but he wouldn't tell me." Jonathan replied as we walked to his office.

"So what do we do if he's not telling us what's going on?" I asked him

"Watch him, look for more signs that something is up." Jonathan told me as he unlocked his office door and held for me to go in.

"Is there anything else we can do?" I questioned concerned. If Alex was being bullied I wanted to know about so we could try to stop it.

"The main sign he is showing is he does not want to go to school, Em. Until he tells us more there's really not much we can do. I guess we could talk to his teachers but we don't want to interfere so much that he won't trust us when something is going on." Jonathan said point blank. That was true, I knew when my parents would interfere in things I didn't want them in I would usually shut them out. I didn't want Alex to do that with us.

"Are you ready to go to lunch?" Jonathan asked me bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Yes! Oh before we go I have some fun news to tell you." I excitedly said.

"Did you get a promotion?" Jonathan joked a bit.

"I don't think they have a promotion for my position. However I got a positive pregnancy test this morning." I blurted out. Jonathan looked at me for a moment absorbing the news.

"You're pregnant?" he asked me after a few minutes. I nodded with a huge cheesy smile on my face.

"How far along do you think you are?" he inquired.

"Well my period was due today so I think I'm only four weeks." I answered. Jonathan broke out into a smile, one of his few real ones and gave me a kiss, something he never did on campus.

"So Thai food for lunch, then?" he asked me remembering back to my craving with Alex. I let out a small chuckle.

"Sure." With that we went to lunch and talked more about Alex and this new little person we were expecting.

…

**Alex's P.O.V**

The bell rang and I walked out of my reading class to my backpack to put my books away. I had a math test next and I really didn't want to take it. I mean it was only one math test I didn't have to take it right? Ugh, I really hate math such a stupid subject.

I reached into my backpack to grab an extra pencil when I heard a bunch of loud bangs. I looked towards the sound to see a woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes holding a gun. I dropped my backpack and ran to one of the teachers. More loud bangs were heard and then nothing.

**Emmy's P.O.V**

Jonathan and I were making our way back to my office. Jonathan was very pleased with my news about the pregnancy. We decided we would wait until we were out of the first trimester before we told Alex he would be getting a brother or sister. I couldn't wait!

Jonathan dropped me off at my office before he left to get ready for his afternoon classes. Needless to say, today had been a good day.

I had been in my office about 20 minutes when my cell phone rang. I looked down at the number and scrunched up my face a little confused. I didn't recognize the number. After another ring I answered the device and held it up to my ear.

"Hello?" I greeted.

"Hi. This is officer Jim Gorden, is this Mrs. Emily Crane, Alex Crane's mother?" I heard a man asked

"Ma'am there's been a shooting at your son's school. We just sent your son to Gotham General."

"What?" I asked. My heart sank deep into my stomach as shock seemed to take over my body Alex has been shot?

"Your son was shot, he is on his way to Gotham General." The man repeated. I nodded, even though I knew he couldn't see me.

"I'll be right there." I said before hanging up the phone. I quickly gathered up my things, locked my office and went to make my way out of the school when I paused. Jonathan, he needed to know. I quickly turned back and walked down the hallway to the classroom Jonathan would be teaching in.

Once at the door I looked in and saw my husband only a few feet away from me. I knocked on the glass lightly before Jonathan looked my way. He gave me a confused look before gave his student some instructions and came over to me.

"What's going on?" Jonathan asked me. I'm sure he could see the distress in my face. I tried to talk but it seemed almost impossible to say those words.

"Is it the baby?" he asked. I shook my head.

"It's Alex." I finally managed to choke out. "He's been shot."

"What?"

"I just got a call from Officer Gordon. He said that there was a shooting at Alex's school. They're transporting Alex to Gotham General, right now." I whispered. Jonathan nodded, quickly dismissed his class and gathered up his things.

"Let's go." He said as he placed his hand on my back and we made our way to the hospital.

….

**Author's Note:** _Hello everyone. We are getting into the tragedy part of the story and then next few chapters will be kind of hard but it's part of the story. Thanks to everyone who is following/favoring my story. And a special thanks to_ **Seraph of Words** _and_ **Tayler Snape13** _for reviewing! _

_I will update again soon. Thanks again to all of you for reading my story. Please leave a review if you have a moment. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks!-Lin_


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